Lucky Feather and Magic Knickers
by retrinazambrano
Summary: A varied collection of Outlaw Queen one-shots, ranging all genres and ratings. Featuring works for OQ Valentine, D!OQ week, OQ Prompt Party, Fix It, Happy Ending Week & Angst Fest.
1. Baking and Decorating

**Chapter 1 - Baking and Decorating**

I think we all need a bit of loving fluff in the aftermath of what happened in 5x21, don't we?

This is set around the end of season 3, so no Marian, no Zelena and no baby. The good times, basically.

Thank you Lindsay for being my beta, as ever, and the prompt, and Hollie for reading this through!

Hope you enjoy and thank you for reading :)

* * *

Regina is up far, far before Robin, Roland, Henry... Everyone, and in the kitchen. She's a pro at apple-based goods, but after the apple-turnover-meant-for-the-savior-except-that-went-wrong debacle, she stays far, far away from her comfort zone and decides on a double chocolate fudge cake. Nothing but the best - and cavities - for her outlaw's son.

She gathers all the ingredients and lines them up, the recipe book open on a stand on the counter. She briefly considers using her magic to create the most delicious cake ever known to man, but she remembers Roland's little voice calling her out the last time she attempted to 'make' something. "That's cheating!" he'd called out, earning a grin from Robin and, of course, he was in agreement with his son. So she peruses the recipe, again and again, to the point she's sure she can recite it by heart.

She is pouring the cake mixture into a bowl when she hears a shuffle and the clearing of a throat behind her. She turns her head and smiles, the sight quite welcoming. "Good morning," she smiles, smoothing the contents of the bowl with a wooden spoon.

"Milady." He walks over to her, putting his hands over her silk-covered hips (still in her pyjamas), his bare chest against her back. "Good morning." He puts his chin on her shoulder and watches her work for a moment, before deftly picking out a candy from the garnish bowl and eating it.

"I saw that!" She exclaims. "So much for a famed thief, eh?"

"Ah, but the difference here, your majesty," she rolls her eyes at that, "the difference is that I wasn't trying to steal this sweetie. If I was, I can guarantee that you wouldn't have a clue it was gone until afterwards."

Oh so that's how it is, is it? "What makes you so sure, _thief_ , that that I wouldn't know?" She turns her head then, and he places a single, sweet kiss to her jaw.

"Believe me," he whispers. "I just know."

He puts his hand on hers then, making her leave the spoon in its place, turning her round, pressing her to the counter. "You look radiant today, my love."

"Okay, enough of that!" She laughs, tipping her head back slightly. He kisses her throat, just the once, before lifting his chin back up to claim her lips. They kiss for a moment, before Regina pulls away and tells him to get out of her kitchen. "I am cooking up a masterpiece!" She says, turning back to the mix.

He looks her up and down. "I'd say you already have."

"Robin! Go!" He backs out of the room then, hands up, though she can't see it. He knows she's laughing. He's barely out of the room when he hears a "where is it, thief!?"

"I have no idea of what you are referring to," is his reply, all mock innocence. She turns to face him then and she can't see the bowl, but she bets he has it.

"The candy! The candy bowl! Where is it!?"

He smirks, giving the game away straightaway. "I suppose I could be convinced to give it back."

"What will it take this time?" She sighs, exasperated. This isn't the first time.

"Just a kiss from a very beautiful woman."

"Let me just grab the phone book then, shall I..."

"Ah, perhaps I should have been more specific. Not just any beautiful woman, but _my_ beautiful woman."

She flushes at that, but mutters a "wonder who that is," which has him coming back over to her with the candy.

"Well I think you know. Kiss?" And she gladly gives in, using their kiss to distract and whip the candy bowl from his hands.

"Now can you please go!?"

"I'm going. But didn't I say you'd not notice?"

"Yeah, yeah, okay. You're insufferable when you're like this... Wipe that smug look off your face!"

"Wipe it off for me," is his retort and she raps him gently on the arm.

"Stop flirting and... Make yourself useful. Go wrap Roland's last gift." She'd fallen asleep on the sofa at the last one, and Robin had found her, sitting up, head lolling. He all but instructed her to bed. He acquiesces with one last kiss to her brow and pads through to the living room.

Regina checks the clock. 9am. They're going to be greeted by the excitement of young souls soon. She arranges the cake in layers, as instructed by the book and she admires her handiwork for a moment before putting it into the oven.

"Wrapped," she hears from the lounge, prompting her to walk through.

"Thank you. Breakfast?"

* * *

Not long after Regina has begun breakfast does she hear an excitable "Papa!", signalling that Roland is indeed awake and a gentle 'oof!' tells her he's barrelling into Robin. She leaves the pancake batter she's working on for a moment to go and see the birthday boy.

"Good morning, Roland," she says, as he turns and all but jumps onto her.

"Hi Gina! I'm five today!" So proud.

She grins and nods. "Yes you are. Getting almost as old as your father."

"He's ancient. Literally." Henry joins them with a quick remark that has Robin laughing.

"Well yes, good morning to you too," he adds, getting up. "I do believe a certain queen made pancakes!"

"PANCAKES!?" The boys cry in unison.

"Queen?" Regina has her hands on her hips at that one.

"Pancakes queen," Roland offers and he's so pleased with himself that it makes Regina's smile just as wide. They run off to the kitchen, as Regina calls a warning to be careful, leaving she and Robin alone together.

"You put a shirt on then," Regina laughs, running her hand down his torso. It's forest green and the perfect colour for her forest thief.

"Yes," he smirks.

"Shame." Then she kisses him, no heat, something just pleasant and caring.

"How's that cake doing?" Robin asks nonchalantly as Regina's eyes widen.

"Oh, sh..." He doesn't hear the end of her colourful language as she rushes out of the room, makes the boys wait outside (Robin included) and she retrieves her now slightly toasted cake from the oven.

She sighs sadly, tears stinging her eyes. She wanted Roland's first birthday with her, their first as a family, to be perfect. This cake was meant to be perfect. But she forgot. She neglected it, and she just feels like it's a metaphor for many of her actions in life.

Robin takes a tentative step into the kitchen and, when she doesn't force him to leave, he steps up behind her and weaves his arms around her waist.

"It smells divine," he says, nuzzling into her hair (and she's sure he means her hair then).

"But look at the edges, Robin. I ruined it." A tear does fall then and the gentle hitch of her breath alerts him to it. He turns her round and kisses the tear to stop it falling any further.

"It's okay," he soothes, running his hands gently up and down her arms. "We can sort this. Look." He picks up a knife and simply trims around the burnt bits.

"The colour's all uneven," she sniffs.

"Then we cover it with icing. And it will be fine. Trust me, love."

And she does. Always has done, with her heart from the very beginning. She nods lamely, allowing him to kiss the top of her head.

"Is this still a secret for my boy?"

"Yes, of course."

"Because I think," he plants a gentle kiss on her lips. "I think he would love to help you decorate it. That would be a wonderful present for him."

Regina considers for a moment, then nods. "All four of us. When it's ready, of course."

* * *

Roland loves decorating the cakes. He also loves picking his favourite candies from right under his Papa's nose and eating them when he's not meant to, and Regina remarks that he's just like his dad, something he can't disagree with. They make Roland's name on the top of the cake with marshmallows, jelly tots and chocolate chips and have decorated the sides as so too, soft strawberry icing holding it all in place.

Roland, fascinated with the technology of this new world he's living in, insists his Papa takes a picture thing on his talking thing (cellphone, Regina reminds him) of him and his cool new cake, to which he obliges. Robin then turns the lens onto his beloved and her son, as they cuddle up for a photo, after which Henry holds his hand out to take the device.

"One of you and Mom," he says and they're happy to do so. Robin puts his arms around Regina and kisses the side of her face while she erupts into laughter, due to the two boys 'grossed out' by their display of affection.

"Let's have one together," she suggests, so Henry takes over, takes snap after snap of the group of them smiling, posing, laughing.

Later, when Regina is looking through the photographs, taking a break from putting up party decorations, she has the biggest smile on her face.

"Robin, look," she shows him one she didn't realise had been taken, of the two of them sharing a chaste, smiling kiss, with his arms around her. "I didn't realise this one had been taken."

"You look breathtaking," he smiles, kissing her cheek.

"In my pyjamas..."

"Precisely. You look natural. Beautiful."

"And you're very handsome," she grins, twisting her head to kiss him, before holding up a banner. "Can you help me reach this?"

* * *

Roland's party is a great success. Regina's cake is a focal point (because Roland had made sure everyone who walked through the door knew that 'Gina' made the cake), it's delicious, and, when it comes to blow the candles out, Robin tells him to make a wish. He tries to tell them all what it is, but Robin tells him that it's his secret.

Roland loves all his gifts too, the mini bow and arrow his favourite (besides the cake) and when his Papa and Regina put him to bed that night, he tells them how he loved his birthday and how it needs to be his birthday again tomorrow. Robin tells him he'll have to wait a whole year, and although Roland looks a little put out by this, he shrugs and says if he really has to wait a whole year, then he'd like to make cakes again before that.


	2. (Im)perfect Timing

Happy Valentine's Day, dee-thequeenbee! I hope you enjoy this little piece of fluff as much as I did writing it! Thank you Shay & Lindsay for reading this over. Mwah!

* * *

Robin has it all prepared: he's going to take his lovely wife out for the evening. It's been a good while since their last date night, what with falling into the routines of married life, not to mention the two sons they had between them taking up a good percentage of their time. So with the boys with Granny for the evening, it being Valentine's night, he's planned a moonlight banquet under the canopy of the forest, complete with the best food, richest wine and, of course, complete access to one another, should they want that.

Except Regina has thrown a magical spanner in the works; she's unwell. Having used up all her energy on a tough spell some days back, followed by taking no time to recuperate, she fell sick, having one hell of a head cold (no doubt caught from Roland when her immunity was at its lowest) and she spends most of her day between headaches, sniffing and expelling copious amounts of phlegm. She's even handed the keys of the Mayor's office to Sheriff Emma in her absence, so Robin knows it must be pretty bad. He does ask her, once on the first day, whether she could just magic the cold away. She glares at him, reminding him that her magical resources are down right now and that even sorceresses as powerful as she get sick sometimes.

It's the third day now, the thirteenth, and Regina is still in bed at 11am, something she very, very rarely does. Robin sits beside her as she lies there, surrounded by tissues and the like, eyes puffy, nose streaming and she pats his hand. "I'm sorry Robin, I wish I could get better for tomorrow so that we could go. I know how much time and effort you put into this. Damn this bad timing," Regina sighs, her voice a little muffled from the cold. She's genuinely upset and regretful over this and Robin can't be mad. He never was. Instead, he presses a kiss to her forehead and strokes her wild, dark curls as they are now.

"It's alright, love. You can't help it," Robin starts, but Regina shakes her head.

"I could have helped it. I could have rested. The damn spell didn't work anyway," she replies bitterly and Robin casts his mind back to that day, the mess in her office and the defeated look on her face. That was when he decided to set up this little surprise.

"Regina, stop," he says, halting her mid-sentence. "As I said, you can't help it and the only way you're going to get better is to rest. Okay?" She stubbornly nods. "Now, is there anything you need?"

Regina tilts her head and reaches up to rest her hand over his, where it now lies against her cheek. "Maybe cuddle me a while?"

* * *

The following morning, Valentine's morning, Regina is feeling much better, but the headaches are still bothering her and she's slightly feverish. As Robin makes her a hot honey and lemon tea, he wonders how he can bring their Valentine's night to her.

It takes one glance at her fireplace to give him the idea.

He takes the tea, the idea and several pieces of toast up to her (now he's worked out how to use the toaster and has quit jumping every time the bread pops up), but Robin finds Regina dozing again, her eyes shut and her breathing ever so slightly raspy. He lies the tray on the bedside table and climbs back in beside her, which rouses her from her slumber.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Robin whispers as he weaves an arm around her waist and plants a sweet kiss to her shoulder.

"It's alright," the brunette replies, stretching, pushing her hair from her sweat-slicked forehead. "I should probably get up anyway." She sits up slowly, fighting the hit of lightheadedness that shakes her and takes a sip of her tea. "Thank you."

"Do you need anything?" Her thief asks, rubbing his hand up and down her arm.

"No, but thank you. I'm just gonna have a shower."

* * *

Regina is dressed in a fresh pair of silk pajamas when she re-emerges from the bathroom, fresh and much more awake. She plops herself back onto the bed to find that Robin has fallen back to sleep. She grins and kisses his cheek, taking a slice of toast, munching happily until Robin stirs, which he does some moments later.

"Sorry, must have dozed off," he says, running a hand over his face as he pushes himself up to sit. "So, I know we couldn't go on our Valentine's date," Robin starts, taking a slice of toast himself, "so how about I bring Valentine's to us?"

"Oh?" Regina questions, the pads of her fingertips dancing down the length of his arm to link their hands. "How're you gonna do that?"

"You'll see," he whispers, leaning over to plant a kiss on her cheek. "You relax whilst I go get a few things." With that, he is up and finding something to wear.

"Should I ask?"

"It's a little surprise," Robin replies as he pulls his green Henley on. "Keep yourself warm and I'll be back soon."

"Should I get dressed?" Regina asks, wondering what on earth he's got planned.

"No, love. The pajamas are just fine."

* * *

When Robin arrives back at the mansion an hour or so later, he heads upstairs and tells Regina to remain right where she is until he gives her the okay, which she agrees to eventually, after a little protest. He simply says it'll be worth it.

He pulls the sofa (no mean feat - it's a heavy one) directly in front of the fire, moving the coffee table in front of it. He then arranges numerous nibbles spread-style across the table, alongside a bottle or two of red wine and scented candles to finish.

The sun is setting, so he flicks off the lights and does his best to light the fireplace, but it refuses to budge, so he turns the lights to their dimmest setting - it'll have to do - and the scene is set.

* * *

Robin leads Regina down the stairs, and as they reach the final step, he moves behind her and puts his hands over her eyes.

"A proper surprise, huh?" Regina whispers, a smile playing on her lips.

"Oh definitely." Robin keeps one hand over her eyes as he switches the stereo on, filling the room with quiet, soft melodies.

"Mmm, this definitely feels like a date night sort of thing. Wish I'd worn something a little sexier," she purrs.

"You're sexy without even trying," is his response, as he plants a gentle kiss to the shell of her ear, one that sends a shiver down her spine. He walks her to the sofa and removes his hand. "Open your eyes."

Regina gasps at the sight before her. All her favourite canapés, in all different flavours, alongside sparkling water and red wine.

She immediately turns in his arms and flings hers around him. "I love it!" She yelps, followed by a short coughing fit which Robin soothes her through, his hand rubbing her back. He asks if she's okay and she nods, letting him lead her to the sofa. He passes her a glass of water, which she takes gratefully, allowing the liquid to soothe the burning, easing the irritating scraping from her throat and, as she sets the glass tumbler back on the table, Robin takes her hand.

"Better?" He asks, lifting her hand to his lips.

"Much," is her reply.

Robin nods and glances at the fireplace. "I tried to get the fire going," he explains, "but it just wouldn't light."

Regina gives him a smile and, with a wave of her hand, the fire is roaring to life, crackling, warming the room, dousing it in a warm glow as Regina flicks her hand again and the lights go off. "There we go."

"Oh love, you should be preserving your energy," Robin says, kissing her hand again.

"One little fire spell won't hurt," she responds. Regina reaches out and picks up two salmon blinis, passing one to her husband. "One for you, one for me." Robin takes the mini biscuit and holds it up before biting into it, same as she, a satisfied moan leaving her lips. "Delicious!"

The duo continue in this vein, the wine flowing, the food consumed, words tumbling from their mouths of love, truth and permanency, of how pixie dust really does not lie. On their third glass apiece, the kissing begins, lip locks that start light, playful and without too much heat, until Regina lets out a gentle moan and Robin feels that familiar stirring he knows so well. Her body collides with the back of the sofa as she sinks into the plush fabric, Robin's chest pressing into hers.

Regina loves these kisses, the urgency, the yearning and the feel of his lips working against hers, knowing exactly what she likes but somehow unravelling a new, tiny piece of her each time.

She's addicted and the sheer force of the affection she feels for him hits her, causing her to lose her rhythm and pull away. Robin's eyes slowly open and his brow furrows. "What's wrong?" are his only words as her hands find his face.

"Nothing, I just… never thought I'd have this." She gives him a small, but ever so sweet smile and he leans in to kiss her again.

"You do though, Regina, and I love you more than I could ever explain."

She raises her finger to his lips and shakes her head. "Don't tell me. Show me." And their lips meet again, slow passes between the two of them that leave them breathless. When they break apart, it's only for air and Robin observes his wife's flushed face and kiss-swollen lips, desire dilating her pupils and the gentle irregularity of her breathing. She's beautiful and he wants nothing more than to show her. Food abandoned, Robin stands and holds his hand out to her.

Regina looks at him questioningly, but reaches for his hand anyway. "Let's go to bed," Robin says in a gravelly, lust-laced voice. It does things to her, sends arousal lancing through her body and she simply nods. With another wave of her hand, they're surrounded by purple smoke.

* * *

The way he touches her is sublime. Ghostly trails upon soft, smooth skin that leave tingling paths in their wake, up her sides, tracing unspecified patterns across the ridges of her ribs and up over the peaks of her breasts.

He knows how to touch her.

He reignites a flame inside of her that had been all but dying embers, heat spreading through her veins and capillaries, setting her alight with each pass. Robin's hovering above her and she tilts her head up to meet his lips. Their kiss is electric, teeny tiny frissons and sparks that serve only to move them along. Regina's hands find Robin's cheeks as the moment intensifies.

She pushes against him then, as he grabs her hips, rolling her so she's on top. She takes a moment to admire his features; the kind, blue eyes that tell her she's wanted and beautiful, the smile that makes her feel like a teenager again. Good God she's in love and she _wants_ him. More than ever.

She leans down to kiss him again, grasping his cock as she settles herself over him, giving a few lazy strokes before cupping his cheek.

"Okay?" She whispers, her voice barely there as he responds with a breathy _yes_ that barely makes his lips move. She takes him in hand and sinks down onto him, a moan escaping through her slackened jaw, a much deeper sound than before, one that Robin matches with his own.

Regina doesn't last long. In fact, she's almost embarrassed at how fast she comes. The feel and sight of her as she rides out her orgasm tips him over the edge too and they both know it was quick, it was nothing particularly adventurous but it was _real_.

Regina sighs as she relaxes, finally, her body beside his, legs tangled, her skin with an ever so slight glisten from their exertions. "You know," she murmurs, twirling the short, blonde hairs on his chest around her fingers as she speaks, "it's almost as if you've stolen my heart."

"Well, you knew I was a thief when you met me," he chuckles, as does she, shifting and resting her head on his chest, the soft muffled beat of his heart in its rightful place a comfort to her.

"Mmm," she hums, "but you can't steal something that's been given to you." She lifts her head at that and presses a kiss to his lips, falling quiet, enjoying their companionable silence as Robin's hand strokes at her shoulder.

When Regina whispers that she loves him too, just a little while later, he asks her why the addition of _too_. She tells him that earlier she hadn't said it back and she wants him to hear it.

Robin smiles at that. "Don't tell me. Show me."


	3. Heart Throbs and Apple Seeds

So this idea popped into my head when I was on my way to work one day. Who would have thought! Title from the song by the bird and the bee. Thanks Shay and Lindsay! I still don't own these two, but you can bet that, if I did, there would be a happy ending on the horizon...

* * *

It's approaching fast. The one-year anniversary of his beloved Marian's death and, as much as he loathed to talk about it, to even really think of the fact she'd gone, he knows he has to mark the occasion somehow.

Robin prefers to think of the mother of his incredibly beautiful child, with his soft curls and toothy smile, dark eyes that were all his mother's, prefers to think of her with light in her eyes, an unashamed lust for life, his Marian, his childhood sweetheart, her soft skin and her understanding. He would rather think on these things than the terrible, sudden way she died.

There are days when Roland asks where his mommy is, why it really is that all the other kids at school have their mommies and daddies, whereas he only has him. It tears at Robin's very soul, his heart, already fractured from the loss of his best friend, but he is quick to assure his son that his mother is looking out for him in spirit, even if she isn't around in body. Every night, they write a couple of words about Roland's day on a slip of paper, then put it in a box, hoping that Marian can read the contents from her place in a realm beyond their own. It's a great source of comfort for both of them.

Now, though, with that dreaded date looming ever nearer, Robin is forced to think of how to mark the occasion (not that he thinks it's an occasion he enjoys to mark). He goes to lay flowers at her grave every week and this week, as he does so, he knows he wants to do something a little different.

Robin heads into town, scouring the stores with his son's hand in his, waiting for an idea to just jump out at him, but nothing does. No _eureka!_ moment, no epiphany, just a blank space. He sighs, gets himself and Roland some lunch and, even after consulting with his son for his ideas, there's still nothing that they can think of. He resigns himself to the biggest, most colourful blooms he can muster - his Marian was always a fan of colour - and begins their drive home.

His mind is racing as he drives, concentrating the best he can on the road whilst his brain goes at a thousand miles a minute. The same strip of road, the same greenery, sights… it's all the damn same. Nothing is giving him any inspiration...

... until he sees the familiar sign for the nursery a couple of kilometres off the highway exit. He's never visited this place but he's oddly drawn to it today and well, what will an extra half hour out of his day do? Roland remarks that this isn't the way home and Robin tells him they're going to take a little adventure.

* * *

The nursery building is in a clearing near the forest and the scent always takes him back to the days he and Marian spent as teenagers, camping with their friends, shooting arrows into makeshift targets on trees. Turns out Marian was getting pretty good at actually hitting her mark, something she attributed to her boyfriend's teaching skills. He's sure it's that remark that led him into teaching.

He parks up, letting Roland out the back, telling him to be careful. He takes his hand again as they walk into the store, the fresh scent of the open air, leaves, mixed with something homely assaulting his senses. He doesn't even know what he's looking for, but something tells him he'll find it right here. Robin and Roland wander the aisles of plants, tools and the like and when Roland asks him what they're looking for, he says he doesn't know, they should just… look.

"Is there anything you're looking for?" Robin stops at the sound of deep voice, distinctive in this corner of town, turning to be greeted by a striking brunette, long hair swept back off her face, with kind eyes and a friendly pout, wiping her soil-encrusted hands upon her red apron. He thinks he might be staring - in fact, he knows he's staring, so he shakes his head and gives the young lady a smile.

"Nothing in particular," he manages and she gives him a smile.

"Well, if you change your mind, I'm just gonna be by the till, okay? Take your time." She turns then and heads in the direction of the desk, moving behind it, lying a folder on top before leafing through it. He's staring at her again and the only thing that tears his eyes away is the tug on his jacket from his son.

"Stop staring at the lady, Papa. It's rude," he says with mock sternness. Robin chuckles at his son - raising him well, it seems - and looks away.

"Well, let's go look at some of the blooms outside, huh?"

Roland follows his father willingly, gasping and _ooh_ ing at all the colours before him, tempted to touch but knowing that he shouldn't. Instead, he leans forward and breathes in the scent of one particularly pretty chrysanthemum and the pollen causes him to sneeze, not once, not twice, but four times in a row, prompting Robin to turn and crouch down to his son's level. Alas, he is without tissues, frantically shoving his hands in his pockets for a napkin, _something_ to help curb his son's runny nose.

"Hey, can I help?" Robin turns and the girl from the desk is standing before him. "I heard a couple of massive sneezes and I thought, _it's got to be from a big, strong guy like you!_ " She grins down at Roland, whose cheeks pinken as he gives her a coy smile. "Here, a pack of tissues. They're the super soft ones too so your nose won't get all sore." She hands one to Roland, before handing the rest of the pack to Robin.

"That's very kind of you…?" He trails off, searching for a name badge, which also makes it look like he's staring at her chest.

"Regina. I'm Regina," she says, holding her hand out to his, as they shake.

"I'm Robin, and this is Roland."

Regina smiles and crouches down to the little boy who is now all but peeking out from behind his Dad's legs. "Well it's very nice to meet you both. I had a cold too not long ago, sneezing isn't too much fun, huh?" She asks Roland and he shakes his head vehemently. She pulls herself back up to her feet and turns her attention to Robin. "Don't mind me saying, but I have a feeling you don't know exactly what you're looking for."

Was he that obvious? Something had drawn him here in the first place, but what he's actually _looking_ for… hmm. He just shrugs at that with a sigh.

"I guess I don't." He takes a deep breath - to explain exactly why he's here will mean having to talk about _it_.

Regina's head tilts at that, a sympathetic smile as she reaches out and squeezes his bicep. It's not a move he was anticipating, but welcome all the same. "Well, how about I walk around the store with you? You never know, something might just pop up."

He nods at that, grateful for the extra company and, when Roland hears that the nice shop assistant will be helping them for a little longer, his smile widens. They begin wandering the aisles, making small talk, Roland joining in, telling Regina how his birthday was just the other week and that he's four now, that his papa threw him a party with a big chocolate cake. Regina coos over the cute kid, telling him that she wished she could have attended. Roland tells her he wishes the same thing.

Ten minutes of chatter and the occasional bout of laughter later and neither adult has a clue what they're looking for. In fact, Robin feels terrible that he's actually forgotten they were looking for anything, taking up Regina's time as well as the act of not looking for anything to commemorate his dead wife and, in a quest to calm his conscience, he announces that he needs to keep looking.

"So," Regina starts carefully, "if you don't mind me asking… who did you lose?"

Robin stares at her, open-mouthed. Roland is too busy looking at garden gnomes to be paying attention to the atmosphere between the two, thank God, and Robin stutters a little before a quiet "how did you know?"

Regina gives him a wistful smile. "You did the same thing I did," she tells him. "A bit of an aimless wander in search of something perfect which seems a little out of reach. Mainly because you don't know what you're looking for." There's a beat, before: "I lost my fiance a couple of years ago. Car accident," she admits and Robin gives her a smile in return, for he can relate.

"Same with my Marian," he tells her in return. "It's been a year and I bring flowers to her every Sunday, but I wanted to do something different this time." For the anniversary he doesn't even want to think about. Her life is for celebrating, but her death certainly isn't.

Regina nods in understanding, a light bulb going off in her head. "Follow me," she says, leading he and Roland to the plants. She scans the shelves, each tiny label until she finds exactly what she's looking for. Carefully, she wraps her hands around the ceramic pot then presents it to him, a smile on her face.

Robin is utterly perplexed; he has no idea what it is. "I, erm…" he starts and her grin widens.

"I know, you have no idea what it is," and he shakes his head. "It's a dwarf apple tree." She turns the plant in her hands as she explains, "no apples yet, but it's blossoming, see?" Robin takes a closer look and, sure enough, there are little pink flowers peeking out through the leaves.

"An apple tree?" He asks and she nods enthusiastically.

"Yes. I didn't know what to do when Daniel died, except work, and then I found myself here and… let's just say I was clearly where I needed to be, as I saw this little tree and I thought… yes." He listens, but Robin is still confused by the suggestion and his face says as much. "See, with care and nurturing, the tree will thrive and bear fruit, right? The apples. You pick the apples, eat and enjoy them with your son, then, in a couple of months or so, more apples. So the cycle continues. You can have this in your wife's name and she'll be with you. Always." She gazes down at the plant with a smile on her face.

"Wow, I never thought… wow," is all that Robin can say in response as she holds out the pot to him, which he gladly takes.

"I bought mine a year after Daniel died, just like you and it's helped, you know? To feel like I'm keeping his memory alive by doing this. More regeneration, less Garden of Eden, you know?" She grins and it's a genuine smile he returns.

"Well, let's ask the true expert here," he says, calling Roland over. "Miss Regina suggests we should get this apple tree and name it after your mommy. What do you think?"

Roland's eyes widen and he looks up at Regina, then his papa, a toothy smile on his face. "I love apples!" he exclaims and nods excitedly before inspecting the plant closer, a frown forming on his face. "But there's no apples."

"Ah no," Regina explains, "but in a couple of months - maybe even a couple of weeks - you'll start to see baby apples, right here," she points at the pink blooms, "then they'll grow and grow until you can pick them off and eat them!" With that, Roland _ohhhh_ s and that little grin is back on his face.

"So, my boy - the apple tree then?" he asks, Roland nodding, heading to the desk for Regina to ring the item through the till. Halfway through the transaction, however, she stops and puts her hand over Robin's, closing his hand with the money still sitting in his palm.

"No," she says, walking round to his side of the desk. "I want you to have this on me. I've been there," her voice a murmur, well aware of Roland's presence, "and finding peace within yourself is priceless, so it just wouldn't be right of me to accept payment. I just hope I've helped you a little."

Robin hasn't felt so grateful to anyone that wasn't his son in a very long time, but this stunning brunette, all long lashes and compassion sparks a little light inside him, one long extinguished and, setting the pot on the desk, he embraces her. He doesn't even think, he's just so grateful to her. Seems she is to him too, for she returns the hug almost straightaway, taking in his scent of pine and detergent, closing her eyes.

It's not long before Roland is joining in the fun, wrapping one arm around Regina's legs, the other around Robin's and, as they all pull apart, Robin thanks her profusely for her generosity and kindness.

She smiles warmly and they part, Regina watching as they head to the exit. "Oh," she calls back and Robin turns, plant securely in hand. "Come back and visit. I want to know how Marian's doing."


	4. The Fight Under Shattered Sight

This is an excerpt from a piece I wrote on the Curse of Shattered Sight for the Pixie Dust project, an offscreen moment we should have had, where Robin and Regina meet under the curse. Thank you to Anastasia, Lindsay and Shay for looking over this (both in its entirety and this snippet).

I just checked and, sadly, I still do not own these lovely characters.

* * *

It was pitch black as Robin of Locksley fought his way through the dark, cutting down offending branches in his wake, when he saw a light, a fire up ahead. _Great_ , he thought, _unassuming villagers to steal from_ , as he approached, as quiet as the skilled thief he was, ready to sneak up on his prey. He watched as that light, that fire got closer and closer - that camp was moving! - until he saw that it wasn't what he'd thought. It was…

"Regina?"

The use of her name made her turn slowly, a fireball in her palm illuminating the small clearing in the trees. "It's your majesty to a petty thief like you," she spat, her face contorting in anger.

Robin was quick to bite back with, "a petty thief I may be, but I am not a queen in the woods."

She glared then, a deathly thing, wondering out loud what she'd ever seen in such a man, to which he responded that she was quite frankly insufferable. She rolled her eyes at that, a move he mirrored and she tried to move past him. He stopped her, of course, his hand darting out to block her path and she, in no uncertain terms, requested that he moved. The moment his skin shifted against hers, there was a spark, a sizzling current of electricity that made her jump.

Just a couple of magic remnants, that was all. Nothing more.

"No, milady, I have a couple of things I'd like to say to you."

He launched into a tirade of what she haughtily considered _woe is me_ stories about how magic ruined everything, was the basis of the curse and how, because of said curse, he was without his son, but she noticed that he never blamed _her_ magic for anything. How odd. It didn't matter though, not really, for she was tired, overcome with ennui from his impassioned speech (something she gritted out at him in a low voice) and she tried to move past again but he wouldn't let her go. She was getting more antsy than angry now (her need to rip off Snow White's head was waning just a little with each passing moment and she didn't need that need to weaken) and she cut into his speech with a "but how exactly did you free yourself from those _secure_ chains?"

He stopped mid-sentence and levelled his eyes at her. "You knew I was a thief when you met me," he quipped and from that, there was a slight crinkle to her eyes, a ghost of a genuine smile, but it was gone almost as soon as it had appeared.

"Well, Robin of Locksley, if you do not remove yourself from my path, I will have no choice but to remove you myself," she retorted. That just amused him, causing a snicker and the flame residing in her hand grew just that little bit hotter, that little bit bigger.

 _Challenge accepted._

She screamed out in frustration and released the fire, Robin ducking just in time to see it fly over his shoulder, hitting a tree behind him and sparking it up, casting light above the duelling pair.

"That wasn't very regal, your majesty," he jokes, her title coming out in such a drawl that not only heats up the fireball in her hand, but also the fire starting to quietly rage within her body. Only, that fire wasn't anger, it was… she didn't know what it was, but it startled her. Either way, she would not let him get away with his barbs, another fireball heading in his direction but for some reason, her aim was far off today as she shot far too high, letting the flames land in the branches. The temperature in the air was rising, but so was the tension between these two soulmates, that fact all but forgotten as they circled one another.

"So, why in the forest and not the castle, hmm? Do you like the smell of forest?" Robin asked. Regina, with a smirk, said that in a former life she did, but informed him that now she was just passing through from her vault. She needed to leave and naturally he was in her way. When he still refuses to move from her path, the continuous fireballs start, Robin too quick for her, too agile and, having had enough of ducking for cover every ten seconds, the thief drew his bow and let an arrow sail right by her into the tree trunk behind.

"That arrow almost took off my head!" she bellowed and he shrugged.

"Turnabout is fair play, milady," he said, and another fireball comes at him, then an arrow at her, turn taking in almost a pantomime state of events. Though neither cared to admit it, there was something happening, sparks that had nothing to do with the magic of the curse, electricity sizzling around their enclosure as they threw little insults, almost flirtatious comments about the heat between them, the mere shape of arrows, _his quiver_ (he bites back that she'd do the quivering one day), the skilled archer's fingers he is in possession of at one another. It upped their game, for this was now not about revenge, but pure sport for the basic fact that, despite the curse bringing out the worst versions of themselves, they were still undeniably attracted to one another.

The trees were burning now, at risk of starting a forest fire and the thief and the queen were at a stalemate. Both their aims were off, unheard of from one of the greatest sorceresses of her generation and a legendary archer, but _something_ was holding them back from disposing of the other, yet still keeping them drawn.

That was it, however. They'd become tired of their back and forth and the fireball in Regina's hand grew larger than ever as Robin drew the string of his arrow back. Both had to die, such was the intention of the curse. Their eyes met as they both commenced a silent countdown.

Three…

Two…

One.

There was a tingling at the tips of their fingers as Regina flung her hand at Robin's head, as he released his arrow to aim straight between her eyes. Miraculously, somehow - and neither knew what possessed them to do it - they both missed, having changed the course of their weapons at the very last second, stunning the other. Regina was still for a fraction of a second as his arrow, one that never missed its target (but had multiple times tonight) flew right past her cheek, its feathers brushing her skin in the softest juxtaposition to its intention, whereas Robin's head whipped around to stare at the huge blaze engulfing the centuries-old oak behind him.

Regina needed to focus on the job at hand: getting that damn princess' heart. The thief was distracted, she noted, and she stepped back, back a little more and, as he turned to face her, to ask what on earth was going on… she was gone, only wisps of purple smoke to prove that she was ever there in the first place.

Robin sighed, irritated at her disappearance. He was starting to warm to her. He chuckled darkly to himself; judging by the sheer number of fireballs she'd volleyed at his head… it was no wonder.


	5. An Even Bigger Adventure

Hola! Here's a one shot for D!OQ week, inspired by the season 6 finale. Thank you to Lindsay and Shay, as ever, for reading this over.

There are some formatting amendments I need to make but it's a nightmare on a phone so I'll do that later.

Of course, I still don't own these two. I should, though.

* * *

The sound of punctured wood causes Regina to pause and look up from her vanity. It's one of Robin's arrows (naturally he'd aim close to her. Never hit her, of course, the skilled archer he is, but if one of his arrows _didn't almost take off her head_ , was it really them?), she can see that, but it's the parchment wrapped around the weapon's shaft, as well as the little gem catching the light hanging from the twine that holds it all together that piques her interest.

 _Ready for a new adventure?_

His voice echoes in her mind as she reads, a clear, crisp sound of how he speaks, how he wraps his British tongue around five words that, apart, mean very little, but strung together signify a question that means more than just what they say on the surface.

And it's that subtext, that deeper meaning - as well as the beautiful diamond ring attached to the note - that has her face splitting into a grin she doesn't think has crossed her features out of sheer happiness in a long time. The only word in her otherwise snarky, sassy mind is yes as she whips her head round to see her thief standing mere yards away, bow in hand, but by his side.

The Queen slowly rises and turns to face him, her elegant velvet blue gown fanning about her ankles as she moves, unable to school her features to anything less than a grin. At any other time, her mother's harsh words, something like t _hat's an expression unbecoming of a Queen_ , would drive through her, but not this time. The only thing she can feel is unbridled happiness at his proposal.

But also her own.

Unable to fight that smirk, she looks down past her breasts, her torso and to her hand as a fireball slowly builds in her palm, glancing again at Robin, who is entirely unfazed by the bundle of heat in her grasp. She raises her free hand, spins the blaze into the shape of a phoenix and the firebird turns to its master as Regina whispers to it, a message and an instruction as the creature takes flight from her and over to Robin, settling on his shoulder but never burning, not a single lick as it whispers back just what Regina had said.

 _Are you ready for an even bigger adventure?_

Robin turns to the flaming being then back to his Queen, that grin still very much in tact and he's confused. Very, very confused. The look on her face tells him yes, but he wants to hear it so he knows it's real, it's going to happen. The bird vanishes in a puff of red smoke, prompting Robin to take a few steps in Regina's direction, a move she mirrors, step by step, until they are directly in front of one another, accompanied by audible breaths, gentle sighs. He can see every little detail of her skin, the little flaws that make her her own brand of flawless and she can too, the gentle crinkle of his smiling capri-coloured eyes and the tiny scar on his cheek she gave him one day when she was practicing archery. Their connection feels stronger than ever, the gentle tingles in their fingertips are beyond physical magic. It's undeniable, it's real and, above all, it is true.

Regina reaches for him then, drawing her slender fingers over his lion tattoo - the sign of a soulmate - and the tingling between them roars to life as her hand falls to his, digits intertwining as she takes one step closer to bridge the gap between the two of them, falling into his embrace. Nestled into his shoulder, Regina exhales, eyes closed as Robin gently rubs at her back.

It's quite the sight; the ever-feared Evil Queen and the wanted, infamous Robin of Locksley in such a hold which speaks of nothing but tenderness, but it speaks volumes of the connection between the two of them. Robin kisses her forehead before pulling back to look at her.

"Is there something you'd like to say, milady?" He hasn't forgotten her question, but he also hasn't forgotten that he asked her first.

"Is there something you'd like to ask me, thief?" She drawls in response, a strange light feeling blooming in her chest that she can only identify as anticipation and excitement and although he rolls his eyes, it's good natured as he gives her a lopsided smile, retrieves the ring from her grasp to present to her and falls to one knee. Regina's eyes travel downwards with him, casting over her belly once again as she does and awaits those words she honestly never thought she'd hear in a happy situation.

"Regina, my Queen of thieves, the Queen of my heart and my Queen of everything - will you marry me?" His eyes are expectant although he already knows the answer and she can't bear it, unusually - she needs to put him out of his misery.

And she does, with a gentle nod and a smile that could bring peace to warring lands.

"What do you think?"

With her soft words ringing sweetly in his ears, like the most beautiful melody he has ever heard, he takes her hand and slips the jewel onto her finger, keeping hold, admiring just how stunning it is, just the same as she. She gives his hand a tug and he stands, their arms coming back around one another for just a moment before they're kissing, fully, deeply.

She's not sure whether it's the proposal, her own exciting news or a heady mix of the two, but it has Regina on fire, skin heating up as they fervently paw at one another, Robin stepping to her as she steps back and back towards their dark four-poster. Regina pauses at the foot of the bed, pecking his lips again before turning round. Robin hums at the expanse of her back, the little smattering of freckles just to the left of her spine and God, her glorious ass, especially in this dress, one that will now forever be associated with happy beginnings. It's not just lust that he feels but an overwhelming love, a desire to be close to his Queen in a way only he is allowed to.

So he runs two fingers from the base of her neck, a feather-light touch right to the V hem of the dress and he curses this damn realm and its lack of zippers (a fascinating discovery he made in the modern realm), because it would be beyond sexy to remove this garment that way, slowly revealing more and more of her skin inch by inch, because even though he knows every millimetre of her body by memory, he will never tire of the excitement of unravelling her.

Running his fingers back up, he slips his calloused hands under the decadent fabric and pushes it up and over her shoulders, down, down, until Regina's arms are out of the sleeves, her front bare, her breasts soft and pliant under his touch, hardening as he explores her chest, stepping forward once more to press a kiss to her shoulder, a move that has his Queen gasping, her eyelids fluttering closed.

He knows her, knows what she likes but he always manages to surprise her with his ministrations. Today, he's slowly circling her nipples in tandem, every full pass making her sigh as his lips nibble a path up the side of her neck and God, does she want to commit every sin on this earth when he does that. Sure enough, she's distracted enough by his mouth that she barely notices when his hands leave her breasts in search of a destination further south. Robin once again pushes at the velvet, over her hips and down, until it pools at her feet, leaving her almost entirely naked, save for the little scrap she considers underwear.

He groans at the sight of her behind, his hand coming round to squeeze the ample flesh gently before turning her back round. She's flushed, gorgeously so, wisps of her otherwise intricate hair loose (so she just, with a masterful flick of her wrist, undoes it, letting the long, wavy raven strands cascade over her shoulders), with lips just begging to be kissed. So kiss her he does, hands drifting over her body as she divests him of his shirt (their heated making out barely breaks for air as she tugs the loose thing over his head), running her palms over his chest, the planes of his stomach, a visual of which is extremely pleasing to her, but nothing compared to the feel of his skin against hers.

She's dying for it now, that touch, that feeling. Her hands fall to his pants, making quick work of the button of his breeches. She knows she could use magic to undress them both instantly, but they both love the passes between them, the teasing and the undoing of one another that it's an unspoken rule that she not use her magic to aid them.

Well, _that_ part of their lovemaking anyway.

That's a tale for another time, for the only magic they need is entirely within their touches, that tingling starting to course through their veins in only the most pleasant of ways as Robin kicks his pants away, briefs following as he sits her on the bed, kneeling at her feet like he's ready to worship. Which he is, as he pushes her down, ensuring she's comfortable in her position before pulling her knees apart and pressing suckling kisses to the inside of her thighs, higher and higher (and he's doing a good job, according to the pitch of his Queen's barely audible moans), right until his mouth is over her lace-covered core, pressing a kiss right over her, before trailing off down the other side of her thigh.

Regina is by no means a patient woman… ever. She tends to like instant gratification and, as the Evil Queen, she wanted everything when she demanded it. With Robin though, she's happy to be a little more leisurely, especially with the things he can do to her simply with the flick of his tongue. It's not where she wants it desperately, but she's good with him building her up, riling her further and further.

In moments, her panties are down and off her legs, joining her dress on the floor, his lips pressed against her centre, kissing ever so gently before his tongue darts out to taste her and, _fuck_ , if that didn't take her by surprise. Slowly, but ever, ever so surely, his tongue slips up to her clit, circling the sensitive bundle of nerves, a move that has Regina moaning, Robin following her in return. He's addicted to her taste, her sound, her _everything_ and, as he realises that this is what he has to enjoy for the rest of his life, he moans again and simply ravishes her. He swears he's never been so hungry.

She's teetering, rolling right around the edge of orgasm as she fights to hold back. With Robin's wonderful practiced fingers now inside her, moving in a steady rhythm, she's close. He knows it too as he pulls his fingers from her warmth (gaining him a curse from the tousled woman above him, but he knows what he's doing). He hovers over her, his elbows propped up in support as he kisses her, a full, loving thing, but before he gets too settled, she twists him back onto the plush mattress, moving to straddle his hips.

This is how she wants it and, with just one look of silent approval, Regina sinks down onto him.

They both swear it's never felt so good.

The thief really cannot believe his luck whenever this happens, but this time, he is utterly in awe of the woman riding him, taking all the pleasure she can from him by rocking her hips back and forth in a way she likes… in a way he likes. He admires her occasional slackened jaw, which closes only to hum her approval at their motions, her closed eyes, the hands planted on his chest, nail bites, her breasts moving along with them as they fuck just that little harder, right down to where their sexes meet, the most illicit yet satisfying image he could possibly have in front of him. His Queen. _She_ chose _him_. She had wanted him back and although Robin is fully aware he is not Robin _Hood_ , Regina had fallen for him just the same.

Four times in four realms they fell in love, and four times in four realms they couldn't stay apart.

It's faster now, harder, as Regina tells him _exactly_ what she wants and he's only too happy to oblige, his thumb passing back and forth on her clit, listening to her cries get higher and higher in pitch before she arches her back and moans to the high heavens, her orgasm washing over her, the tensing and pulsing around his cock finally too much to bear as he spills deep inside her with a moan loud enough to match hers.

...

They're utterly spent and their bodies are mostly encased in the soft cotton sheets of their bed, limbs tangled, Regina nestled against Robin's side. She lifts her hand and stares at the rock sitting comfortably on her finger (a perfect fit, unsurprisingly) and she asks Robin in no uncertain terms how exactly he procured such a gem.

"Are you implying that I stole your engagement ring, Miss Magic Knickers?" he asks, grinning, using his secret nickname for her in a low voice.

"It's Mrs Magic Knickers to you now. Anyway, you aren't wanted in most lands purely for your altruism, my dear. May I remind you that you are a much wanted, much talked about thief? Some may say you're somewhat of a kleptomaniac," she jokes, tracing circles on his chest.

"You wound me, milady. If you must know," he says, taking a deep breath, "I bought that thing fair and square. With my own coin!" A pause, before: "Friar Tuck may or may not have helped me…"

The Queen chuckles at that, for she wonders if anything material truly is their own with the amount of thievery going on. What belongs to them is priceless. "Well, it's very beautiful."

They're quiet for a time, simply listening to each other's breathing, a calming sensation, but as Regina looks at Robin's expression, she knows he has something on his mind.

"What is it?" she asks, nuzzling his cheek. "You look deep in thought, my dear."

"I'm trying to figure out what you meant earlier. With your phoenix. The even bigger adventure."

Oh, that's right. In the midst of all the celebratory sex and her post-orgasm haze, she'd totally forgotten about her cryptic message. "Yes," she breathes. "An even bigger adventure."

"What bigger adventure could there possibly be than to be married? To face the world together, to steal from undeserving bastards to help the helpless? And ourselves..." He adds and Regina realises that she's going to have to spell it out for him. She reaches for his hand and places it just under her breasts, pushing down, letting the digits coast her warm, olive skin until he reaches her still-taut stomach.

"What about an adventure that's going to get bigger every day?" Regina finally whispers and oh, he's got it now, if the look on his face is anything to go by. He says nothing, his eyes wide and, for the first time in a while, Regina is worried. Worried that the time isn't right, that this isn't a pleasant surprise at all, that this isn't what he wants when it's all she wants. The Queen opens her mouth to speak, just to fill the deafening silence between them, but she's interrupted by his lips on hers, his hand never moving from that spot on her belly where their child is growing and forming.

Robin's the first to come up for air with an I love you murmured into Regina's hairline. It's a sentiment she shares and one she echoes right back as she finally relaxes. She explains that she had just ignored the first symptoms, which had first started when he was out on a patrol but, after her sickness didn't abate, the castle doctor confirmed that she was, indeed, with child.

"But that's impossible," Robin exclaims and yes, she also thought that were true, that the diagnosis had nothing but taken her by surprise. They had spoken of the potion she took to defy her tyrant of a mother, of the way she seemingly willingly cursed herself to a childless existence despite that being all she ever wanted for herself.

"It really was a curse in some ways," Regina explains, thinking of Henry, the adoption, Emma careening her way into their lives and the unexpected happy ending of that particular tale. "But since Regina and I split, I guess the curse weakened and you know what they say about true love's kiss. It can break…"

"... any curse," he finishes. "So, the curse is broken?"

"Yes, I suppose it is, Henry must have given both of us a chance," she smiles, splaying her fingers over her stomach, thinking of her ever-believing son. "It's very early still, but I couldn't be happier."

"Me either," Robin whispers back, pressing another kiss to her temple.

…

The following morning is full of talk about the forthcoming baby Locksley. They decide to not inform their staff just yet, but both agree that Henry should know of his sibling's imminent arrival.

Ever since the other Regina, Snow, Charming and the other residents of Storybrooke went back home, Regina had realised that she could still communicate with her son through her mirror. It took a bit of organising when it came to talking but more often than not, they were in sync and, on this particular morning, Henry was surrounded not only by the other Regina and Emma, but Snow, Charming, Zelena, Hook and Granny.

"So, mom, you said you had some news," Henry asks after the usual pleasantries and there's murmurs around him, mainly from Snow, who yet again had that unabashed hopeful look on her face. She probably owed her a few million quarters by now.

"Yes," the Queen says, nodding, glancing at Robin before continuing to speak. "Well, it turns out… it turns out I…"

"She's pregnant!" Mary Margaret yelps before she can stop herself, her hands immediately flying to her mouth, muffled apologies falling from her lips as she stares at the Queen, but all Regina can do is nod. Was she really that obvious?

Silence. The Queen knows that Storybrooke Regina would probably be most shocked, maybe even hurt by this, but when she sees her very own smile beam back at her, she knows her other half is happy for her. In fact, all of them are elated for the couple, Henry included, excited for a sibling who he knew he wouldn't get to see all that often, but he would adore all the same.

As the call tails off and there are less and less people on the call, the Queen calls Regina back for a talk alone. Regina insists she is happy for her and the Queen knows that's true. "Regina, I know you miss Robin and you do every day," the Queen explains, "I feel it too, remember? But you deserve your happiness."

Regina sighs, not an unhappy thing. "For the first time in a long time, I feel peaceful. I always just wanted to feel at home with myself, within this world and I have that, don't I? I have my son, my family, friends, you - it's not typical but there's nothing I want more than what I have right now."

She understands, the Queen. She is her, she feels Regina's emotions keenly when she's face-to-face with her. "I know. Just… remember what Daniel said to us? Love again, Regina. Open your heart to another possibility, whatever that may be, when you're ready."

Her brunette reflection gives her a smile then, nodding. "I know I'll be ready again one day."

…

It's the evening that breaks the happy little bubble the Queen and her thief have built around themselves since the previous evening. After speaking to Henry, she realised that there was one other person who needed to know the news - one more little hobbit, the youngest merry man.

Roland.

Robin had found the Merry Men again when they had returned to the Enchanted Forest, but divided, following the death of Robin Hood. The faction he subsequently joined - and led - was the half without Roland, much to Regina's sadness and she immediately posed a re-introduction between the two.

Unfortunately, the topic of the young boy was a sore one between the couple; Robin had no recollection of his son, yet Regina believes that, upon seeing his child, it would spark his memory. Robin argues that actually, no, that's not fair, neither on him nor Roland, who had already lost both his mother and his father (twice when it came to his mother, if the story Regina told him was anything to go by, though Regina explained that she'd given Roland a forgetting potion, so he wouldn't remember any of it). For Roland to see Robin again, yet for Robin never to recognise the child that was, technically, his very own flesh and blood… that would be cruel. It would be like him losing a parent for the umpteenth time. Regina insisted he could try but the thief refused to budge on the subject. Eventually, Regina decided that it was no good. She knew Roland was safe and happy with the other Merry Men, happily in Little John's custody and, much like Storybrooke Regina, all the Queen wanted for him was his happiness.

Tonight though, fresh with the surging emotions of her own pregnancy, she's not prepared to just let this slip, beginning one of their legendary heated debates. Robin is pretty angry with her for daring to bring it up, to puncture their happiness, but Regina is beyond frustrated with his blindness to the subject, to the point where she simply leaves the room, lest she aim a fireball at his head.

Eventually, later, the Queen acquiesces and apologises for talking about it. She knows Robin is doing it for his and Roland's own good. She's mid-sentence when her thief stops her in her tracks.

"Maybe we should find him."

Regina is stunned to the point where she can barely form words in her head, let alone her throat. The silence and time alone that prevailed after their angry exchange, Robin explains, gave him pause for thought. "We are having a child of our own and, if I am this boy's father, which I completely believe I am, then he deserves to be a part of our family. If it brings the rest of the Merry Men back together in the meantime, even better."

Regina stands from her chaise, colliding with him as her arms come around his back, eyes brimming with unshed tears. Not only was she going to have her own family, but she was going to have her whole family.

…

It is Regina that makes contact with the "lost" half of the Merry Men (as Will Scarlet calls them). After their beloved leader's death, a rift between Little John and Will regarding leadership caused the close-knit band of brothers to split in half and, although both were too proud to admit it, it was never the same.

So the two warring parties often crossed paths on their similar quests, yet Little John ensured Roland was always kept out of harm's way, out of sight of each conquest, which means Robin of Locksley has never seen the boy. Regina requests they meet on neutral ground; a clearing in the forest which is fair game to both parties. Regina, Robin and Friar Tuck approach both Little John and Will Scarlet and it's almost as something has clicked between the four of them, for they all embrace, full of compliments and apologies for the past months of fighting and taunting. Regina herself steps back, quietly observing the unsevered bond between the men she knows her love considers his brothers. Her unconventional family is growing all the time and the thought knocks her a little, but only in the most pleasant of ways as she hears a small, sweet voice from behind a shrubbery.

"'Gina..?"

It's Roland. She knows that voice well. The Queen's heart swells at the sound and she turns, immediately kneeling on the floor and opening her arms as the littlest thief runs straight at her, His body collides with hers with a gentle force, knocking her onto her back, amongst the leaves of the forest floor. Their laughs and gentle cries of happiness cause the four congregating men to turn to witness the sight before them.

Robin watches the boy and, although he really has not seen him before, somewhere deep in his mind, maybe his subconscious, he isn't a total stranger, like the child once held the biggest part of his heart. He can feel a physical tug in his chest and, although he goes to speak of it, to ask Regina or his men what that strange weighted feeling is, he can't voice it. He can't describe it, can't possibly lend mere words to such a sensation.

Roland refuses to let go of Regina once he's in her arms, the Queen resting him in her arms as she turns. The child turns his head and his eyes grow wide when he sees exactly who is before him. A man whom he had been told had died to save another (they had never named Regina - the Merry Men wanted Roland to have only good memories of the once-feared royal), the most severe of sacrifices in the name of true love.

"Papa!"

No level of confusion could ever stop the boy from exclaiming his beloved father's name, as he flew from Regina's grasp straight into his father's arms. It's a motor response, one which he doesn't have control over, yet he has this innate sense that it's right to embrace the child. Robin of Locksley had hugged some children before, of course, his brothers, his lovers, his Queen, but nothing like this, a meeting of two halves of the same heart, a heart which is knocking endlessly inside his ribcage, set to burst from his chest in what feels like pure happiness.

But he can't understand it, can't comprehend it - why is his body acting independently to his brain in terms of this young child? He knows that the other version of him is his father, but he is not. Robin decides, however, that he should try to embrace this sensation rather than fight it. He glances up at Regina, observing the delighted look on her face and he is awash with love for her, their unborn, his family and, looking down at the little boy in his arms, his son. Robin knows then that there is a bond between them and one he wants to explore deeper.

Regina approaches the two of them, crouching down, running her hand over Roland's curls. "I think you all should come back to the castle, stay with us." She glances up at the Merry Men. "Well, you can sleep in the grounds, I know you're more used to… natural surroundings."

…

Some days are harder than others with Roland around, the Merry Men getting in the way (as the Queen calls it) and Regina's ever severe morning sickness, but the joy Roland gives every single one of them, the happiness that Robin genuinely feels in his life (he swears he never even had this quite so much with Marian) and being surrounded with the people he holds dear… it's worth every tough minute, for each of those are meaningless when it comes to the bigger picture.

Robin and Regina have told Roland about the imminent arrival of his sibling and the news is met with nothing but excitement from the littlest Merry Man and also delighted to be back in touch with Henry, the teen he knows as the coolest biggest brother with the best job ever, Roland declaring that he wants to be an author as well as a Merry Man.

Still, despite the building bond between father and son and the visions of something he can only describe as flashbacks of the past that mainly come in his dreams, Robin cannot quite take hold of those moments and see them clearly. They're disjointed, fuzzy at best and the only thing he really recognises is the forest, his dear forest, the very thing that keeps him grounded.

It's actually something Roland says that is key to unlocking those memories once and for all. The boy skips up to Regina, tugging on her robes (much looser these days, what with her ever-expanding stomach starting to show much more prominently) and asking her whether she ever got the feather she gave to Zelena. Robin's ears prick up at the mention of the feather and indeed, Regina says that yes, she did receive the special item, as she calls it, pulling it out from her robe to reveal the feather attached to a chain around her neck. Regina goes on to explain just how she got it, pointing to his father with a smile. She knew Storybrooke Regina had felt like this was a part of or at least a symbol of Robin's soul, something she felt too and although her Robin Hood was gone, he had loved her, like Robin of Locksley does and had no doubt in her mind that he lives on - in some part - in her fiancé.

Regina takes the pendant from around her neck and hands it, feather in tow, to Roland, who runs his fingers over the delicate vanes with the utmost care. He turns to Robin and walks over to him, holding the feather up. "I gave the feather to Zelena to give to 'Gina when you went away," Roland explains and he nods, reaching out to take the precious item from Roland's grasp.

Except, when he does, he is knocked back by the flashbacks in front of him. All of the flashbacks he has had so far play back to him, clearer this time and in purer colour. Still, they're not as sharp as he needs them to be for him to completely recall them and, the longer his fingers remain on the feather, the more the visions repeat themselves, over and over and, far away, somewhere in the distance, he can hear his Queen's concerned voice, yet he can also hear Marian, singing as he vaguely recalls, a lullaby he swears that she'd sing to the infant Roland to pass him into slumber.

Although he'd never admit it, Robin of Locksley is frightened by the sheer velocity of the flashes before him and the moment his brain tells him that he is, indeed, terrified, he lets go of the feather and the visions cease immediately, leaving him breathless and those around him concerned for his welfare. He takes some shaky steps back, the backs of his knees hitting the cushions of Regina's chaise and he sits, his head in his hands. He feels sick, for the visions went round and round so quickly, like they were trying to knit themselves together into one coherent loop, yet they never quite managed, as if there was something missing and he'd be damned if he knew what the missing piece was.

"Robin?"

"Papa?"

Robin's hands come over his ears as he tries to fight the nausea and the moment he feels Roland tugging on his jacket, he's up and out of the room, ignoring the pleas of both his fiancée and his son.

He needs to clear his head as a matter of urgency, needs to never touch that feather again and he just knows Roland will want him to see the thing so this is the best thing for now, especially when the Merry Men announce they're going on a raid of the nearest settlement; a hostile one and if Robin remembers correctly, one associated with his arch nemesis Nottingham, but very lucrative. Perfect. That'll keep his mind focused and far away from what just happened.

Unbeknownst to Robin, Regina and indeed the rest of the group, is the youngest Merry Man's insistence on being with his Papa as much as he can be and, whilst Regina's back is turned, he is following the famed thief from Regina's castle and into the forest. He seems to know no fear, mimicking his father's footsteps deeper into the wild; slow, measured movements that barely make a sound.

Yet Robin's guard, as ever, is up and he senses that someone is around, someone who does not belong. Roland, ever his father's son, ducks behind tree trunks and bushes whenever he's in sight, to the point where Robin believes he's just paranoid. But his paranoia isn't unwarranted, for a piercing scream - that of a child - courses through the air, causing the band to turn, raising their weapons by instinct.

"PAPA!" Roland yells and Robin focuses on the boy, captured by their foe, in a headlock, his eyes wide with fear. Robin calls back to Roland, to calm him, though he's not sure it'll help, and tells him to remain still. He tries, but he can't breathe properly, the panic causing him to kick out, the grip only getting tighter around his neck.

Sure enough, it's Nottingham, his handsome, smug face partially hooded, but contorted with revenge.

It's one thing to have that arsehole grinning at him like he is, but Robin can't just stand there and watch the boy suffer. The archer raises his bow, pulling the string taut, just as Roland's captor begins to speak.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," he drawls. "For one tiny twist, and this boy - your son -" he almost spits the word out, "will be dead. Before you have even let that arrow fly through the air… or I could just…" The sheriff raises Roland a little, the child fidgeting even more, "use him as a human shield. So you might want to put that bow down."

Robin feels utterly helpless. Sure, he could take his chances and let the arrow go, but the distance is such that any swift move could hurt, maim - or worse - kill the boy. He doesn't feel like his father, but he feels a responsibility, a warmth and a certain fondness towards the curly-haired munchkin that barricaded his way into his life, set up camp and insisted he be his favourite Merry Man. So he's stuck and, as much as he loathes to do it, Robin lowers his weapon and urges his men to do the same.

"All for what? A couple of coins and the odd relic? I have been watching you,, you and your 'men'," he punctuates with air quotes, "Then when I heard you were expecting to raid my settlement, I thought… he has the audacity to do that, does he? Then when I saw your son skipping along behind you, defenceless, I thought… today is my day." His vice grip tightens and Roland really starts to struggle as he continues his idle monologue. "You have slipped through my net one too many times, Robin of Locksley, and…"

His speech suddenly becomes jarred and breathless, as the arms that had been holding the young Merry Man loosen and rise to his own, confused, that smug grin now replaced with a frightened stare, his head whipping round as his feet leave the ground.

Roland wastes no time running back towards Robin, back into his embrace, which he gladly allows, relieved that his boy is out of harm's way. Being the child of Robin and Maid Marian, he has inherited a certain sense of bravery, an unflappable spirit, which causes him to turn and face his attacker. Roland's jaw gapes open when he sees the sight before him - not at the state of the pathetic sheriff, but just who is behind him.

"'Gina!?" Robin's eyes snap up to see his Queen's hand out in front of her, her hand curled as if round Nottingham's neck herself. She has to fight every dark urge in her body to not just break the bastard's neck and it's tough, for in going for Roland, he went for her heart. She hasn't forgotten the deception he and Cora unleashed upon her, that led to the most heartbreaking decision she ever made, but in attacking the boy she saw as her son, she saw red again. Black, darkness and deep, deep red. How she wanted to see his neck out of joint.

But what sort of example would she be setting to Roland if she simply disposed of this man with her magic? What sort of emotions would she be transmitting to her unborn child? She'd done the reading, she knew that the baby felt the same things the mother felt, from depression right up to elation and that it was only heightened by the use of magic. She can't let her child - her children - see or feel her act in such an angry, callous way, even if God knew he deserved it.

She pulls her arm back and lets the sheriff fall the foot or so to the forest ground, the men immediately advancing on the man, tying him up before Regina poofs him away, right to a locked cell in the dungeons of her castle. There he'll stay, for all his crimes. It makes her smirk.

Roland turns in Robin's grasp and flings himself around his neck, safe. His I love you, Papa, comes as a murmur as Robin stands with his son in his arms, hugging him, but not too tightly, given what has just happened. The boy digs around in his pocket and hands him the feather that had started this whole ordeal. When they both touch it, again, the images whiz around his mind's eye again, but this time, they're slower, clearer, more coherent, yet Robin can't quite place why it's all so familiar. Regina says that Roland is his son, but he never had a son. Marian died too soon and knocked him into the darkness. Yet, this child has softened him somewhat and his big coffee-coloured eyes are just like staring back into Marian's. How could he not feel anything but affection for this kid?

"I love you too, Roland," he echoes back as Regina joins them, reaching out to place her hand on Robin's arm. He gives her a toothless smile as he pushes a rogue curl away from Roland's forehead and presses the gentlest of kisses to it.

It's almost as if time stops at that moment. A gust of air, a rainbow-rippled force-field permeates through their bodies, making them take a step back. For Regina and indeed, the other Merry Men, Roland included, nothing has changed.

Robin, however, blinks a few times and pulls back to look at the boy in his arms. "My son," he whispers, kissing him again and Regina knows exactly what this is.

"True love's kiss," they both say at the same time. "What do you remember?" Regina asks, stepping closer to the duo.

"Everything," he states. "Everything about Roland and Marian," he states and Regina knows, just from that, that this is still her Robin; part of the mayor's thief lives on inside this man, but it is not him. She has her version of Robin, Robin of Locksley, their son, their baby, Henry, even though he's in another realm. The Evil Queen - no, not Evil, just the Queen - has a family.

And to Robin, the piece of himself he knew was missing ever since he met Roland, the hazy visions and recollections that were trying to tell him that it was all true, that he really was a father, was back within him. He inspects the feather, turns it over once, twice, before smiling and handing it to Regina who reattaches it to the chain and places it over Roland's head to wear.. It's their symbol of hope, hope which they found together in the face of danger.

All it took was a feather and true love's kiss.


	6. Lost Tooth

Surprise! A fic for OQ Prompt Week! I hope to fill in days 1 and 2, as well as day 4 tomorrow, but for now, here's one for day 3... I may even write something eventually for every single prompt... Thank yoooou to Shay(bake) for the beta and may I just rep _all_ her fics? You can find her work under RegalPixieDust!

* * *

 **81\. Roland loses his first tooth**

Regina likes picnics; has done ever since Robin brought a surprise spread to her office one day when she was far too busy with council business to even leave her desk for a ten-minute lunch. So, on an uncharacteristically warm Saturday afternoon in Storybrooke, Regina gathers blankets, the picnic basket, her thief and their children and they head to the town's Centennial Park.

Both she and Robin have packed quite the variety of foods - finger sandwiches (including the PB&J ones that Robin, Roland and Henry _insist_ are legitimate lunch material, but Regina calls dessert), chips, nuggets, mini sausages, mini chocolates, ice pops, carrots, hummus, fruits. Robin busies himself by helping himself the moment Regina has lifted the first tub from the cooler, but Regina, ever the mother, hands out plastic plates to her children. Henry's quite fond of savoury items too, immediately snagging a cheese sandwich, but Roland goes straight to the mini swiss rolls.

"Excuse me, young man," Regina playfully admonishes her youngest son, who turns his head and looks up at her.

"But moooom..!"

"Please don't start with the chocolates," she says, taking the offending candy and removing them from his eyeline.

"But mom," Roland groans, "I like chocolate."

"I know you do, son," Robin adds, quickly hiding the roll he's currently eating. "But what your mom is trying to say is that you can't just eat chocolate all day."

"Why not, papa?" He asks innocently, climbing into his lap and holding onto his shoulders. "I like it."

"Because eating it all the time is not good for your teeth!" Regina chips in. "I didn't eat chocolate or candy for years because of my mom." She pauses, internally shaking away fleeting thoughts of her life at the hands of Cora Mills, before: "and now look." She bares her white, perfectly straight teeth and Roland giggles.

"They're so good!" Roland laughs.

"With the help of modern dentistry…" Robin mutters under his breath and Regina gives him a nudge.

"What can I have then?" Roland asks, parking himself with legs outstretched in Robin's lap and Regina hums.

"How about some of the sandwiches and carrots, some apple then the chocolate?" Roland nods and Regina begins to gather the items onto the plate, which she passes over and he happily munches on.

"Here Roland, have this!" Henry says, putting a chicken nugget on his plate. "It's so yummy, it's my favourite." He plops himself down on the blanket beside Regina and picks up another cheese sandwich, Regina taking the opportunity to kiss Henry's cheek, which he promptly wipes away like the preteen he is.

Roland, meanwhile, is having a conversation with his papa about archery (" _how the arrow flies through the air so fast and hits the tree right where it needs to… how does that work? It's cool!"_ ) whilst eating his lunch. He continues to chatter, picking up a slice of apple, munching into it happily until there's a sudden pain in his jaw and he cries out.

"Roland?" The family all twist their heads to look at the boy at his cry and Robin's concerned voice. "Roland, what's wrong?" Robin turns his son round to face him. He opens his mouth for one second and there's blood seeping from his lips. Roland can taste it and, scared, he clamps his lips together. Regina shuffles closer on her knees too and asks Robin to swivel Roland towards her so she can see.

"Open your mouth for me, darling," Regina soothes, rubbing her son's arm gently, but he refuses, shaking his head, the tears continuing to stream down his face. "Please?" He looks at her again before slowly opening his mouth.

"Oh," Regina sighs. Roland still has a mouth full of apple. She grabs a bag and asks him to spit it out, which he does and she smiles then, realising what the cause of all the fuss is. She reaches in and pulls out a tooth, holding it up. When Roland sees it, he cries harder and buries his head in Robin's shoulder.

"Sweetheart, look at me," Regina asks and, after a couple of moments, Roland turns towards his mother. "It's your tooth!"

Henry peers over them then, noticing the tooth in Regina's hand. "Roland! You lost a tooth! That's cool!" He sinks to his knees next to his younger brother and puts his hand on his back. "I lost teeth, the tooth fairy came and left me money. I bought a comic book with it!"

That piques Roland's interest. "How? What is the tooth fairy?"

"She flies into your room when you're asleep, takes your tooth and leaves money! Isn't that cool?" His voice drops to a low murmur. "Some say she looks like Mother Superior." Roland's eyes widen with a gap-tooth grin and he nods.

"Let me just have a look at your gum, Roland," Regina asks and he reluctantly opens his mouth. Thankfully, it's just a bit of blood. It'll be sore for a few hours but he'll be fine. She cleans up his chin, holds her arms out for a cuddle and Roland goes willingly, snuggling up to her.

* * *

When they arrive home a few hours later and Roland awakens from his travel-induced nap, Henry shows him exactly where to put his tooth with his parents' help. He's almost too excited to sleep after dinner and although he fights the urge to sleep because he's just too eager to meet the tooth fairy, he's out in moments.

* * *

Later that night, when he's absolutely sure that Roland's in a deep slumber, Robin creeps into his room, takes the tooth from underneath his pillow, replacing it with a few quarters. He returns to Regina, who has a _Baby's First Tooth_ trinket box ready and waiting.

"He was a brave boy today," Regina sighs as she gets into bed, her thief's arms immediately encasing her. She pecks his lips, shifts her body and relaxes infinitesimally.

"He was," Robin whispers as she turns over and he kisses the back of her neck, pushing her long, silky strands of hair out of the way. "And you were amazing, as always. He could have made such a fuss - you know how he hates blood."

"I could hardly forget," Regina replies, musing over the time Roland grazed his knee and, although he was exceptionally brave, he cried a river.

Robin puts his free hand on her shoulder and massages gently. "I don't think any of us would like to remember that day," he says, recalling the pain he felt at his son's pain. He kisses her neck again, inhaling her intoxicating vanilla-cinnamon-apple scent, something distinctly Regina. "I love you, you know."

Regina grins, enjoying the frissons of arousal that his lips leave upon her. "And I love you."


	7. Snoring

Technically, this is for day 1 of OQ Prompt Party week, but due to travelling, jetlag etc. I am only now catching up! Thanks Lindsay and Shay for reading this through.

* * *

 **96\. Regina snores whilst sleeping with Robin**

Robin blinks constantly, flipping back and forth from side-to-side, kicking the blankets and comforter off his legs before pulling them back into place, shifting the white plush feather down pillow beneath his head over his ears before smoothing it back onto the mattress and flopping back to stare at the ceiling, careful not to disturb the sleeping being next to him.

It's a ritual he has been grappling with every night for the last week or so and, the less sleep he gets, the more crabby he gets in the mornings. Earlier that day, he had snapped at Granny when she simply asked him if he wanted sugar with his black coffee. He'd apologised, of course, but he was appalled at the bad example he was setting to Roland, who stared wide-eyed at him after his little outburst.

It's not like he can blame Regina. It's not her fault, but she snores. Not just a gentle breathy vibrato either, a pretty damn loud blast of sound the moment she falls into a deep sleep. He's been sharing a bed with his love for months, but ever since they've started going to bed at the same time, after he'd secured a new position in the Sheriff's office, he'd found it near impossible to relax. Each time he thinks he's finally going to drop off, Regina gets there first, snoring away without a care in the world.

The first few nights he lets it go, reasoning to himself that he will simply get used to it and be well rested by the end of the week, but when that comes and goes, the weekend too, he's at a loss of what to do.

Regina is clearly unaware of the situation and he doesn't want to upset her by making a big deal of it, but neither does he want to sleep elsewhere and tonight, he just _needs_ to sleep.

So, for the first time, he nudges her. She grumbles, shifts ever so slightly and sleeps on, quiet for all of thirty seconds before the snores come again. Huffing out a breath, he nudges her a little more firmly and _that_ wakes her.

"What," she growls. It's not a question, more an angry statement at her beauty sleep being interrupted and oh, if he then remembers how much Regina hates her slumber disrupted. "It's 3am, Thief."

"Yes, and I'm sorry," he whispers, navigating his sleepy queen's mood. "It's just…"

"Just what?" she asks, shifting onto her side to get comfortable and it's now or never; he's got to tell her before she falls asleep again, he has to awaken her again and running the possibility of being singed at her wrath.

"You're snoring."

Regina's eyes shoot open and Robin can see, even in the muted moonlight filtering through the curtains, that her face is reddening at an alarming rate. She turns onto her back and covers her eyes with her hand.

"I'm _snoring_?" She asks, incredulous. _Monarchs do nothing as common as snoring_ , according to her mother, that still present voice ringing loud in her head.

"Yeah," he admits, grimacing at how she squeezes her eyes shut, but he reaches for the hand on her face in a gesture of comfort. "It's not your fault though, love."

 _Ha, Cora would not agree._ "It's so embarrassing," she replies, sighing but squeezing his hand as a thank you. "Graham said he couldn't stand sleeping in the same room as me sometimes."

He shuffles closer to her then, one arm draping over her stomach as he kisses her cheek. "It happens to everyone and honestly, it's only been recently that I've noticed…"

" _Recently_!?" Regina interjects, feeling even more embarrassed.

"Very recently," he adds quickly, "there's nothing to be ashamed of, I promise. I don't feel the need to take flight to the spare room," he grins, rubbing her side gently as he speaks. At least that cracks a smile and he can feel and see her relax slightly. "If you sleep well, that's what matters."

"You need to get your rest too," comes her reaction, "what with your days being so action-packed." True; it's been mad at the station of late, the most recent curse newly broken and new people turning up left, right and centre, Robin in charge of their town registration. "I'm sorry I'm keeping you awake."

"Oh no, don't apologise for that," Robin responds. "I quite like you keeping me awake." His brows wiggle and she laughs out loud, that embarrassment she felt so keenly just moments before dissipating into nothingness.

"Not like this, Thief," she giggles, turning her head and leaning in to kiss him. "Now, I know I may make a lot of noise when I'm asleep, but, I promise," she drawls, now fully awake, her hand creeping down his toned chest and further south, "I can be _very quiet_ when I'm awake."

His teeth sink down into his bottom lip as her fingertips trace the soft skin of his hips. "What if I want to hear you?"

Regina grins, sitting up, swinging her knee over his thighs. "Then I can be just as…" she pouts slightly, glancing upwards dramatically as she searches for the right word. "... vocal."

* * *

As expected, Robin falls asleep almost immediately after their late night interlude, worn out, cuddling into Regina's naked form. It's she who's wide awake now, however, and she sighs in amused annoyance.

Robin is snoring.


	8. Midnight

Catching up is going rather well..! Let's just say this is for day 2 of OQ Prompt Party week! This one (sort of) encompasses 4 of the prompts and although it may not exactly be the smuttiest smut I've ever smutted... I'm still nervous about posting it, but it may just do. Thanks Lindsay, as ever, for reading this through.

* * *

 **50\. The smuttiest smut / 104. Sex on the kitchen table / 192. Regina teaches Robin how to use modern things / 197. Midnight snack**

A famed - and wanted - thief learns quickly to guard his treasure and how to be gone within moments. Because of that, Robin is an incredibly light sleeper. So, when a crash comes from the floor beneath him, he's up and on his feet in a matter of seconds, on high alert, baby blues whipping back and forth around the room.

The bed beside him, he notices then, is empty, the sheets messy from the movements of its previous inhabitant. Regina's not in bed and although he knows his queen can hold her own against _anyone_ or _anything_ , let alone an intruder, he still feels an instant urge to protect her.

So he tiptoes out into the hall and down the grand spiral staircase with the stealth of his profession, his back up against the wall, and as he's about to peer round to see what exactly is going on, there's another crash and a soft but firm curse from a very familiar voice.

"Regina?"

The brunette jumps out of her skin, turning quickly, fireball in her hand, ready for attack. When she sees it's Robin, however, she exhales with relief, extinguishing the flame and puts her hand on her chest.

"You gave me a fright," she says, voice still a little shaky and Robin advances towards her, apologising for scaring her. When he reaches her, he notices how the fridge door is wide open, a shelf empty, its contents spilled out across her otherwise pristine kitchen tiles. "Who on earth put this much on the top shelf?" She wonders and, if Robin's sheepish look is anything to go by, her answer is right before her. "Really, Robin? You think packing the top shelf of the fridge to the absolute edge is a good idea?"

She can't really be too mad; he's still navigating his way around modern inventions somewhat and if he thought that if the fridge could close, it's perfectly fine (she'd informed him that the fridge door must absolutely be shut once he'd got what he wanted from it - whether it be a condiment or a cool beer, no exceptions), then it's on her to have told him that a full fridge doesn't necessarily mean a _safe_ fridge.

"It's okay," she soothes after a moment, reaching out to rub at his arm. "It's not your fault." Robin leans down to pick up the broken shards of the bowl containing goodness knows what just as Regina does, their heads bumping on the way down. Regina glances up then, her eyes meeting his and she knows that the mess can just wait a little while.

It takes the slightest tilt of her chin to meet his lips and he responds eagerly, standing up, stepping forward, backing Regina up against the kitchen counter, her hands settling on his cheeks whilst his sit on her hips. She could say that the hard edge of the worktop is pretty uncomfortable, digging into her lower back, but his mouth is too much of a distraction to her to care. When he finally pulls away from her, letting his lips pepper kisses down her jaw and the column of her neck, she glances over at the mess on the floor and, true to form, it bothers her.

Regina pushes at his shoulders gently, causing Robin to look up at her, but she only asks for a few seconds, waving her hand, cleaning the mess on the floor in an instant, the fridge door closed in her magic's wake. She looks back at him, wetting her lips and it's all he needs before he's back on her lips again, this time guiding her body towards the kitchen table, lifting her onto the hardwood surface.

It really isn't long until the kisses and soft passes of their hands aren't enough, Regina's hand lightly scratching at Robin's scalp as she tilts her head in time with his, chasing the other's lips in an amorous frenzy.

"What do you want, Regina?" Robin asks breathlessly, his hands stroking the outsides of her thighs as he stands between them, her little silk slip baring them to him.

"You," she whispers into his ear, nipping at his earlobe as she does so and, as Robin sinks to his knees, she can hear her thudding pulse in her ears, the sweat forming on her brow as excitement starts to creep over her, where all she can feel is his insistent lips against the inside of her thighs and she sighs. She sighs and jerks her hips up a little before relaxing again, fingers curling over the edge of the table.

She knows where he's going and he couldn't go fast enough.

His hands wander under the silk and to the waistband of her panties - her sensible but sexy magic mayor knickers, as he'd coined them, the ones with the lace trim - which are down her legs and off in an instant. He's just as impatient as she is, they both know and she lifts herself again, almost involuntarily, anticipation taking control of her body.

He starts with one slow lick, through her folds, stopping just short of her clit, something which makes her whine, but just as he's an expert at picking locks with those oh so nimble archer's fingers, he's an expert at teasing, the queen of the Enchanted Forest at his very mercy.

If he's going to work her up, he might as well enjoy it.

He pulls his mouth away and stands for a moment, covering her lips with his to stop her asking why he stopped. The pads of his fingers lightly tease between her legs, gently swiping again and again, pressing inside slightly, but only slightly and it's not enough - he knows it's not enough - but her writhing, the motions of her body trying to get more from him without him actually giving more… it's addictive.

There comes a point, however, where, just like the kisses before, the teasing simply isn't enough either and Robin knows the point, when Regina is pressing forward so much that she's all but off the counter seeking friction wherever she can find it. Enough is enough, he thinks, and he sinks to his knees again, delivering the sweetest of kisses to her skin before his tongue finally, _finally_ , is exactly where she wants it.

Regina bites down on her lip to stop herself from calling out his name, hyper aware of the two boys asleep a floor above them and she thanks Merlin for the thick walls of this mansion for, when he circles her clit a second time, she's taken by surprise and moans, a short thing before she clamps her mouth shut again, her eyes closing as her hips work against the grip of Robin's hands on her, trying to keep her still.

Robin's hardly unaffected either, painfully hard at the taste, feel and sight of his beloved above him, but he wants to give her this, wants to make her come this way. His hand drifts down, one, then two fingers slipping inside wet warmth as he laps, amazed by just how she is reacting and, by the time she whispers needily that she's _so fucking close_ , he knows. Her body gives him all the cues and he's already determined to push her over the edge.

When she does come, she's taken by surprise, but it's freeing all the same as his lips purse around her clit, giving a gentle suck, fingers slowing as she rides out her orgasm. By the time she's spent and slumped back on the table on her shaky arms, her eyes are sleepy, smile slightly dopey and there's a look in her eyes that he knows oh so well.

Robin stands and kisses his way back up to her lips, a deep kiss which she pours her every damn emotion into and, when she reaches out to stroke him, to give him what he just gave her, he wraps his hand around her wrist and tells her that she doesn't need to. That was all for her, to help her de-stress.

Regina had told him about the immense workload and pressure she was under at work and although she assured him that is was all completely under control and she could handle it, she also admitted that it does, just sometimes, feel a little too much all at once. He'd run her a bath, made dinner and told her to go relax, go to bed early, but clearly she'd still been restless.

"I was down here for…" she pauses and grins a little, glancing at the fridge.

"For what?" Robin asks, as she hops off the table and retrieves her abandoned panties, slipping them back up her wobbly, barely recovered legs.

"... a midnight snack."

Robin stares at her for a moment, realising the double entrende she's getting at, and he laughs. Really laughs, as does she, and it's a heavenly sound, one that he is all too pleased to hear.

"Well, okay, not _that_ sort of snack," she adds, smirking, before opening the fridge again, taking out a half-eaten apple pie and setting it on the countertop. "I think the ice cream may have melted somewhat, at least," and it's then that Robin notices the tub of vanilla gelato, now thawed, to the side. "I know you've had your, uh, snack," she mutters, clearing her throat, "but would you join me?" She holds out a spoon to him, her own already digging into the pastry.

"It would be my pleasure."


	9. Queues

Caught up..! Amazing! This is for OQ Prompt Party week and I really enjoyed writing this one. I love me a bit of Regal Believer with thrown in OQ & Dimples Queen! Thank you Lindsay for the beta :)

* * *

 **68\. Robin cuts in line at the supermarket. (Regina is not having it)**

Henry is one restless baby at the best of times, but when it comes to grocery shopping, what with the bright, artificial lights and constant noise, he's overstimulated and fussy. He whimpers a little as she weaves her way through the aisles and she is as quick as she can be, throwing in her favourite foods, mainly healthy items, as well as a couple of more indulgent items (such as her favourite whipped cream to accompany her famous apple pie and hot chocolate), baby food, diapers etc.

Henry quietens down for a moment and Regina huffs out a breath of relief as she watches her little prince close his eyes, no doubt soothed by the sort-of rocking motion of the cart.

Soon she's finished, heading to the checkouts, hoping to be done and gone sooner rather than later - an Advil has her name on it, after all. That, and sleep. If she's lucky. Just as she's approaching the queue, a shout comes from behind her, jostling Henry awake.

If there's one thing that should never be done, it's waking a sleeping baby. Henry begins to sob, his cries increasing in pitch as he kicks his little legs furiously - no doubt he's just as frustrated as his mother by this point.

Regina takes the slump in the line to lift her baby boy from his seat, whispering sweet, soothing words into his ear as she bounces him, hoping to calm him down enough to get the items totalled, paid and bagged before he _really_ begins to scream.

Scattering kisses to his forehead and cheeks, Henry is comforted by the familiarity of his mother, her face, touch, her scent and, as he rubs his cheek against her shoulder, face turned in towards hers, Regina relaxes and looks up with the intention of pushing her cart forward.

Except there's someone else in front of her.

"Um, excuse me? You just cut in line. I was next," she says firmly but quietly, both to avoid a scene and waking her son, but said queue cutter does not respond. At all. She clears her throat and tries again, a little louder this time and although he doesn't hear, it's the little boy that runs up beside him that tugs his arm.

"Papa, this lady is trying to talk to you." Regina looks at the boy - he's very sweet, gap-toothed with wild curls and dark, dark eyes. He can't be more than five or six. She doesn't know what it is about kids, but she's got a certain affinity with them, so hearing his sweet voice address his father melts her annoyance into nothing at all.

She doesn't know what it is about blue eyes either as she feels her stomach flip when their gazes meet. He's handsome, those eyes intoxicating and when he speaks his apology, an _I'm very sorry, milady_ followed by a step to the side to let her pass, she realises he's also British. She didn't even know she had a thing for the accent but here she is.

"Thank you," she responds, her arm a little more securely around Henry as her free hand pushes the cart. She begins to load the items onto the conveyor belt with that one hand and it's harder than she expects, hardly able to get to the bottom of her cart without dipping Henry towards the floor. She lets out an exasperated growl but continues to do her best.

"Can I help?" It's the little boy that was just ahead of them. "You have lots of apples and apples are my favourite!"

Talk about assistance from an unexpected person. Regina glances back up at his father, who nods. "Roland loves a good apple pie." Regina smiles and tells him she agrees, that she makes a mean version herself with added cinnamon. "Now that sounds delicious…?"

"Regina Mills," she tells him. "And you are..?"

"Robin Locksley, at your service," he introduces as he leans in to retrieve one of the more difficult to grasp items in the cart. "This your son?" He asks, careful to keep his voice down.

"Yeah," Regina tells him, pressing another little kiss to his forehead. "This is Henry. How old's Roland?" She asks, watching the child count just how many apples she's purchased ( _twelve_ , he reports back.)

"I'm five and a half!" He tells her, his chest puffed out like a proud penguin. "And papa is old!"

Regina suppresses a smirk and Robin chuckles also , giving his son's curls a ruffle. "That's quite enough of that, son. I'd guess Henry is… almost a year?"

"Ten months," she confirms, nodding. "Yeah. He's not a big fan of the store, too much noise." As her arms begin to tire, Regina slowly lowers her baby boy back into the seat and miraculously, with minimal amount of fidgeting, he stays asleep.

"Roland was the same," Robin admits, pulling the last of the heavier items onto the belt. "Got easier as he got older though. He loves the store now."

" _Yeah!_ " Roland happily chirps, standing back alongside his father. "It's colourful!"

"We made a game of the fruits and vegetables," Robin tells her. "My late wife and I, we always told Roland to tell us all the different colours he could see. Kept him out of trouble, let me tell you."

She gives him a wistful smile at _late wife_. "Sorry," she says, sympathetically but not pitifully and he doesn't even need to ask what she's sorry for. "I've a late husband too." Oh Daniel. A good man gone too soon. Robin echoes her sympathies and she simply shakes his head and turns to look at his son.

"Think we're done, Roland?" And the child nods, pleased as punch, arms folding in triumph. It's a move Regina can imagine he picked up from his father.

"Thank you so much, both of you." Regina holds her hand out, first to Roland, who shakes it with the firmness that only a child can bear, before holding her hand out to Robin, who takes it with a squeeze.

"It's been a pleasure, Regina."


	10. Apple & Archer

Another for OQ Prompt Party week - and we're almost at the finish line! Thanks Lindsay for reading this through, like always :)

* * *

 **102.** **Modern day AU where they are cosplayers and meet at a Comic Con**

"Why can't I be the Evil Queen?" Emma whines as she pulls a short, black wig over her blonde locks. "This damn thing is so itchy." She squirms as she tries to ignore the irritation crawling over her scalp, but Regina all but ignores her.

"You promised me," the brunette smirks and indeed she did promise. It was a bet - if Emma won, they'd be the Black Widow and Catwoman at the upcoming Storybrooke Comic Con. If Regina won, they'd be Snow White and the Evil Queen. Emma had scoffed then, thinking her winning the bet would be a sure thing… but she underestimated Regina's capacity to catch apples with her teeth and Regina spent the rest of that Halloween evening letting Emma know exactly how she intended to style her.

Regina sniggers at Emma's attitude, knowing she'll soon come round. Pressing her hair into place, she shakes her shoulders and inspects herself in the floor-length mirror in front of her.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" she drawls as she stares at her reflection, applauding herself on her immaculate makeup.

"It is I, Snow White," Emma calls from behind her with a laugh. "Now, don't go sending any huntsmen after me. I quite like my heart."

Regina turns, her smile soft, far softer than the persona she's portraying. "I do too."

* * *

Getting public transport in such an intricate costume is quite the challenge, Regina finds, but Emma's got it right, opting to change in the toilets at the venue and, due to this, she's tasked with the job of ensuring her cape doesn't get caught in… well, anything. She gets a couple of looks during the journey (looks she counters with the coldness of her character) but, once she is on the final bus to the convention, she notices that she's no longer the lone cosplayer. She spots stormtroopers, a Princess Jasmine, a Jon Snow, even a guy dressed imaginatively as a dalek.

She finally feels comfortable.

* * *

She needn't have worried anyway, for the moment she exchanges her ticket for a wristband, the two of them are accosted by other attendees, eager to take pictures with the Evil Queen and Snow White. They both launch into their roles, Emma all smiles and _one with the animals and dwarves_ , as she so put it, Regina stern, the expression on her face nothing less than calculating. It's exactly the same sort of situation when the two begin to wander the aisles and stalls, casting an eye over all the wonderful comics, items for sale.

She stops at a particular stall, pulled in by the stunning reds and greens… and the symbolism. An apple with an arrow straight through the middle, replicated in carefully moulded and painted apple ornaments, accompanied by a gold arrow straight through the middle. She picks up the closest one to her and inspects it.

"See something you like, milady?" Regina looks up, her coffee coloured eyes meeting his ocean blue ones. He's giving her a close-lipped grin and although her chest flutters for a moment, she pulls herself together.

"I think you'll find it's _Your Majesty_ , Thief." He's dressed as Robin Hood, she notices, complete with bow, arrow and quiver and, if that British accent is put on, he sure has her fooled.

"Oh, I apologise, _Your Majesty_ ," he laughs, holding his hand out. Regina shakes it with a smile as he clears his throat, standing. "Robin."

She stares at him for a beat before laughing out loud. "Nice one. I can see you're dressed as Robin Hood."

"No, really," he frowns. "My name is Robin. Robin Locksley." Regina raises a brow, yet still struggles to contain her laughter. "Don't believe me?" He holds out his ID and Regina acquiesces.

"Okay, _Robin_." She can't resist. "Where are the rest of the Merry Men?

Robin groans, rolling his eyes playfully at this rather attractive woman in full costume. "Yes, I've never heard that before. I might as well use the name to my advantage, huh?"

Regina hums. "You'll tell me you're an archer next. Just to continue the charade."

"No charade," he confirms, brushing his fingers through his hair. "I really do like archery, hence the name."

She squints at him for a moment. The name? Oh, his company name. " _Apple and Archer_. Nice touch. Archer I get, but apple..?"

"Favourite fruit," he grins, sitting back down again. "Also, yours."

She's taken aback by that. "How did you..?"

"You're the Evil Queen. Snow White, apples..?" The penny drops for Regina then as she flicks back her cape. "Or that could have just been a good guess."

"Yes, well… they do happen to be my favourite." She can feel a blush creep over her face at just how much attention he's paying her - more so than all the fuss she was creating earlier just by her costume. "I have my best friend dressed as Snow White somewhere…" She waves her hand in some direction and, when Robin looks over, he spots just who she's referring to straightaway.

"Looks like she's met one of my so-called Merry Men." Regina whips her head round to see her best friend talking to a leather-clad dark, handsome stranger, holding a fake hook. Typical Emma. "That's Killian."

"Well, that's certainly a... " She pauses as she searches for the right word. "... imaginative take on Captain Hook." Regina and Emma's eyes meet then, just as Emma pushes her wig back behind her ear - a _give me an excuse_ signal. Shit, she wants out of this conversation. "I better get over there."

Robin stands, nodding, holding out one of his ornamental apples. "For you."

"Oh, no, I couldn't…" Regina tries, but Robin shakes his head.

"Call it a gift for the Queen," he grins.

"Well, thank you… Thief." She licks her lips and takes the item from him, securing it in her tote. "I'll take one of these too," she says, picking up one of his business cards, flipping it back and forth. "In case I want to buy some more from Apple and Archer."

He beams as he sees the perfect opportunity to say what he's been wanting to say. "If you want any customised items… well, the website is on there. E-mail... My number."

"Might have to take you up on your offer," Regina smiles, taking hold of her regal cape, swishing it behind her as she turns. "See you around."


	11. He Screams for Ice Cream

Made it to the finish line - 7 fics to (technically) cover 7 days of the OQ Prompt Party week, hooray! Thank you Shay and Lindsay for reading this one over, as always!

* * *

 **11\. Regina mothering Roland (but Robin's away, sorry!) / 87. Roland's first tantrum with Regina**

Roland is a mild-mannered child by nature; kind, calm… excitable, of course, but he's a kid - it's in his very nature.

He gets, Regina notices especially earlier, very excited about one thing in particular, in all its varying flavours and forms.

Roland is a big fan of ice cream. Wants it every day for every meal and both Robin and Regina agree that although this is not a sustainable way of living, once a day can't hurt.

Problem is, Regina's a soft touch when it comes to Roland and, occasionally, mainly when Robin is away on business, she'll let Roland have ice cream for breakfast. Or lunch. Or dinner. She justifies it by reasoning to herself that it's not all three she allows it for. She doesn't tell Robin she does this, of course, nor does she tell Roland to not tell his father - if it comes out, it comes out; she doesn't want the boy to feel bad for her little weaknesses.

Then Roland gets sick - stomach bug sick - and he's barely able to keep much more than chicken soup and the odd piece of dry toast down. Regina mothers the little one, what with Robin being away on another trip, caring for him just the same way she cared for Henry with lots of fluids, love and cuddles.

He's unwell, but he's not so unwell that he doesn't want ice cream. He always wants ice cream, after all, and this time, despite everything, Regina has to say no. The first time she says no, it's met with a little groan, but Roland's tired, so he simply turns over and falls asleep. She thinks - hopes - that'll be it, but a few hours later, he asks again and Regina still says no.

It's the third time that he really gets antsy about it. No is the answer, yet again, and this time Roland kicks off his covers (not that she blames him - it's got to be pretty warm under there) and purses his lips in frustration. She gets it, she does - he's so full of life, so to have a bug that pretty much makes you feel miserable as well as stopping you from doing what you want… that's tough to deal with as an adult, let alone as a child.

What she's not prepared for, however, are the tears that leak from Roland's eyes and, as Regina goes to open her mouth, a little scream comes out. Then another. Then another. This is completely out of character for him, Regina betting that it's simply because he is so aggravated by the situation, rather than her actually saying no.

She gives him a couple of moments to see if he calms down - which he doesn't, so, with a sigh, the brunette gathers the little boy into her arms, stroking his hair soothingly as she rocks him, patiently waiting as his tears abate into sniffly hitches in his chest. Once he's settled enough to speak, Roland asks why she said no to the ice cream when she would normally say yes and Regina explains that he's not well enough to have it. She tells him a story of when she herself was a child, when she ate so much of a peach pie that she was sick and now isn't able to eat peaches at all. Roland's eyes widen at the tale, as he shakes his head and tells her that would never happen between him and ice cream. Regina chuckles, ruffling his curls and hugging him a little tighter, before promising that, once he's all better, they can go to Any Given Sundae and have his favourite triple chocolate chip mint concoction, something which brings a smile to his face.

The smile on his face is always worth it.


	12. Selfless

**For day one for OQ Fix It Week - Robin never died, though it sort of answers another of the days, but I've got a separate fic for that! Thank you, Lindsay and Emily, for your beta skills and support!**

* * *

Regina sees the scene often when she closes her eyes and brings her beloved closer; Robin moving in front of her, blocking her from the assured fate the Olympian crystal has in store for her.

That's Robin though; so quick to put others before himself — Regina (and Henry and Roland) at the top of that long list. She grips onto his arm and tries her best to jostle him out of the way to accept what she only deserves, but he's standing rigid.

The light from the object is almost blinding, though she can't bear to close her eyes as she clutches onto the back of Robin's jacket in one last attempt to move him aside.

The voice of a certain Wicked Witch of the West distracts Hades and, despite Regina's pained plea, the light strikes Zelena.

... but not before she's deflected the spell so it bounces back, hitting Hades square in the chest, reducing him to nothing but ash, his soul nothing more than a pale grey wisp of hopelessness.

Zelena sinks to the ground too, startled, eyes wide in shock, as the spell ravages her body - she may have managed to mirror the attack, but she couldn't stop it from ending her too.

The pair rush to her side, Regina's eyes full of tears as she cradles her sister's head in her arms, Robin alongside her, his hand on Regina's back.

 _Look after my baby_ , she whispers. _You're all she's got now._ It hurts to hear, knowing all the despicable things that Zelena has done just to get revenge on a sister who had no control over her upbringing and, as the pain of hearing a reference to her niece subsides to a nagging ache, Regina focuses in on a single word.

 _My_. Regina searches her sister's face for an explanation, but she merely smiles, reaching up to cradle Regina's cheek, her fingers ice cold against the warm skin. _Hades. She is Hades' daughter. She hasn't anyone else. Please promise you'll look after her._

Neither Robin nor Regina should feel relief at a time such as this, but they do, along with pity, both at Zelena's plight and the fact she felt the need to lie about something so massive to ruin lives, just to make herself feel better.

But that girl, so innocent, unaware and unwilling in her mother's plot is her flesh and blood, so Regina smiles down at her sister with a pledge that she would _always_ look after the little girl. _Always_.

Zelena looks between the two of them before her, her eyes dropping closed and her soul lifts from her body, appropriately green, with a serene smile, then disappears before their very eyes.

* * *

She's alive. Regina sucks in a deep, silent breath, glancing over at the crib, holding her precious niece before curling back into Robin's warm, sleeping form, silently thanking her sister for her final act of selflessness, but also Robin for the sacrifice he almost had to make, that she still feels she doesn't deserve.

He'd told her he'd do it again and again, that he would never change his decision to save her. In the torturous nights that followed, he would console her and say that she's alive. She's alive and that's all he wants. It's something she repeats, that she would take a bullet or a death spell in his place, but he silences her with kisses, putting her hand over his beating heart, repeating that he's alive. He's alive.

She exhales.

 _They're_ alive.


	13. Untruths

**For day 2 of OQ Fix It week: the Zelena baby situation. Thanks, Lindsay and Shay, for your beta skills and love!**

* * *

She's not sure how exactly she happened across this sheet of paper, but Regina was somehow drawn to it, pink, sticking out like a sore thumb amongst leaves of white. She gently tugs on it, the material much, much thinner than its cousins and scans the contents.

It's Zelena's, that much is obvious, her name stated plainly at the top, signed off by Whale at the bottom, a date in the very recent past besides his illegible scribble. It's a medical certificate of some sort, perhaps a review or report - Zelena's looking after herself now that she's expecting a baby, she thinks, not wholly kindly; she may be her sister but she can't help the sharp frissons of unresolved anger that ripple through her at the fact that that very baby she's carrying is the product of her wicked ways; of the lies to her thief, of Robin.

She's a smart woman, Regina Mills, but that doesn't quite extend to medical jargon, of which this sheet is littered with, so with a quick incantation in her head, she sweeps her hand over the page, the print morphing into something more along the lines of layman's terms. It's not something she should be doing, delving into Zelena's medical record (singular, only one sheet is here it seems) but she justifies it quite easily in two ways; she wants to know that her niece is flourishing, it's hardly her fault and the second, this is nothing compared to what the red-headed witch did to her and Robin.

Blood count fine, as is her blood pressure. No infections, nothing glaringly concerning, no pregnancy.

 _Wait_. What was that?

Regina reads the words over and over again, going as far as to physically pinch herself to check she's not dreaming.

 _She's not dreaming._

Her pulse quickens, she can almost feel her heart beating, rattling her ribcage as she folds the sheet, tucking it safely into her jacket pocket, raising her hands in a wave that engulfs her in a cloud of purple smoke.

* * *

She shares the news with her beloved the moment she poofs herself to his campsite, pointing very clearly to the sheet that holds what may very well be a happy ending for them - or at least a little respite from the dark threat looming over their hometown. Robin feels a pang of sadness at the loss of a child he never got to know, a child that never really existed, but it's quickly replaced with a renewed anger at his soulmate's sister. Between them, they decide to confront Zelena at a time she least expects it.

* * *

The queen and the thief corner Zelena at her farmhouse, full of sass, full of insults directed at the two of them and although it takes a great deal of restraint, Regina manages to keep her magic at bay, her clenched fist remaining at her side, Robin's arm around her middle. It's a good thing he's now a calm man and without his bow, otherwise Zelena may have some trouble, but they let her continue, Regina only raising her hand to stop her talking when she mentions how _she's won_.

The brunette delves into her pocket and retrieves the document, holding it up, with its contents plain to see.

The wicked smirk on the witch's face quickly disappears.

She's been found out.

There is no baby. Just as there was no Marian, not really, there is absolutely no child to be born of the deception of Robin Hood.

The duo watch as Zelena's grimace transforms into a frown before she starts to try and justify her methods, her reasons but it's everything Regina's heard before, about how she got everything where Zelena was left with nothing; her mother's abandonment, Rumplestiltskin shunning her in favour of Regina. She thought she could get away with it, wanted to push it for as long as humanly possible and, it seems, until now, she had been doing a pretty damn good job.

She supposes she should feel sorry for her, but she doesn't. Regina's life hadn't exactly been a breeze, none of the freedom granted to her that she yearned for with her stable boy and she had killed, pillaged whole villages, leaving nothing but destruction in her wake. No one should want that on their conscience.

Robin is much the same - not only has he lost a child that he believed was to be born, but he's also lost the mother of his son. They may not have had their happy endings together, but she deserved a chance to be happy, just as he and Regina do. In fact, it's Robin who asks how on earth she thought she could keep up with the charade - what would happen when the nine months was up and there was no birth?

Zelena admitted that she was planning on disappearing, Robin never, ever knowing what was to become of his baby. Robin turns away at that one, his own ire heightening, it being Regina's turn to place a hand on his arm in comfort. Regina's head whips round to Zelena, eyes wide, stern, cold.

 _Stay away from us._

She speaks in a low, flat tone, one that conveys the sheer anger bubbling in her chest, before she raises her hands again, teleporting she and Robin to the safety of her mansion.

To the safety of their new beginning.


	14. This Must Be The Place

**For day 3 of OQ Fix It week: Quest to get Robin back day. Wrote this very quickly so I hope you enjoy it. Thank you, Shay and Lindsay, for looking over this and capturing those pesky fatigue-induced errors!**

* * *

Regina has felt desperation in spades more times than she cares to count; her childhood, the loss of Daniel, revenge, seeing the happy endings of those she despises, the decline in the relationship between she and Henry. Anyone would think that it would be second nature to her, that that emotion is always at the back of her mind.

It's not true, however. Before Robin's death, when they were together, she didn't feel that desperation at all. Instead, she felt love, acceptance and a pleasant sense of longing that comes with the sort of stable, healthy relationship she'd thought was boring before, but enjoyed once she had it.

It's been three weeks, however, since Hades destroyed his soul and that desperation is back, full force. She'd turned over that damn town library, poring over every line in every spellbook that she could find in every corner of that place, but there was absolutely nothing on the fate of those struck by the might of the Olympian crystal. Even her vault, with all its magic and potions, couldn't figure it out.

It's the not knowing that disturbs her the most. She has no closure. Regina goes to Robin's grave, opens her mouth to speak, to tell him how _sorry_ she is for what happened, but no words come out. He'd never be able to hear her — his soul isn't there.

It's not until she runs into Tinkerbell at Granny's that things start to take a different route. Regina had all but forgotten about the pixie amidst all the terrors and worry in her mind and the town. Tink has seen that look on Regina's face before, knows it well from when they first met and ushers the Queen out of the diner, away from prying ears.

* * *

Pixie dust. Regina just stares at her then as they sit alongside one another on Main Street, quipping that yes, she's aware that pixie dust has gotten her into this whole situation, but Tink just ignores her, going on to say that, even though Robin's body is now nothing more than an empty vessel, the soul of someone so good cannot just simply dissipate.

The pixie dust that the fairy used all those years ago is still activated. Regina's eyes widen at this and when she questions why it is so, Tink merely smirks.

 _I thought you might need it again._

* * *

Regina poofs she and Tink to her vault. In all the books she studied and tore to pieces (metaphorically, of course), not once was pixie dust mentioned. Figures now, she muses, as Tink presents a pouch of the magic dust, explaining that, because of their soulmate connection, should she use a locator spell on one of Robin's belongings, it should lead them in the right direction.

Or it could not. Before Regina can get her hopes up, Tink adds that she's only ever known this to work in a handful of cases, those that are lore - she's never witnessed it herself, but the stronger the connection, the more likely it is it'll work.

She may not _want_ to get her hopes up, but she has nothing to lose. If it doesn't work, at least she knows that this time, she didn't run away.

* * *

The dust glows faintly, an emerald pulsing light with slight flecks of gold. With a deep breath, Regina scoops some into her hand, feeling the gentle vibration of the powder against her palm as she takes some between her fingers and gently sprinkles it over Robin's scarf, muttering the incantation for the locator spell.

Nothing. Both women frown as Regina tries again - a little more can't hurt - more and more, until Regina, frantically wishing for the damn spell to work, almost empties the pouch. Regina attempts to dive her hand back in to use the very last of the magic dust, but Tink stops her, clutching her wrist, nodding towards the scarf.

It's glowing; a yellow-green aura around the woollen material as it shifts and lifts from the table, floating - out of the room and out of sight.

* * *

They both cautiously follow the scarf back to Regina's mansion, up the stairs and to Zelena's bedroom. Thankfully, she's not home, so no questions are asked as she twists the knob and pushes the door open, allowing the enchanted object through.

Regina and Tink watch as it floats for a while longer, over a box, before gently dropping down onto it.

This must be the place to start.

Regina lifts the scarf up, draping it around her neck as she opens the flaps of cardboard to be met with the belongings that Zelena had not yet had a chance to unpack. A quick glance isn't going to yield anything, so she starts to dig through the papers, the knick knacks of her wicked elder sister.

It seems futile, until Regina lifts one last trinket box to find a feather right beneath it, pristine against the base of the box.

Not just a feather. _The_ feather. The one from Robin's arrow, that Roland gave Zelena, that she never managed to pass on. Regina picks the delicate item up and lays it in her hands, turning it over, running her fingers over the soft plumes. Tink wordlessly presents the pouch again, opening it to reveal the very last of _their_ pixie dust.

Regina understands without even having to ask. She takes the pouch and, with one last hopeful thought, she turns it upside down and empties its contents over the feather.

It takes a moment, but a bright light emanates from Regina's hands, causing her to step back and drop the offending object, watching as it floats to the floor.

And opens a portal.

Tink smiles. _This is where Robin is,_ she explains. _Your connection is so strong, you managed to connect the realms between the living and the dead. He's restless, Regina, not at peace. He's waiting for you to bring him home._

Regina looks at the fairy, all fair-haired and green stockinged, her job finally fulfilled. _How do you know?_

 _I don't_ , she shrugs, _it's just a hunch. Don't let this be the tavern again, go get your happy ending._

And she does - with a wistful smile and Tink's promise to keep a close eye on Henry whilst she's gone - step through the portal. She doesn't know how she's going to get back but she can already feel herself drawn in a certain direction.

He's here. She knows it. Feels it in her bones, her gut, her head and, most importantly, her heart.


	15. The Town Line

**For OQ Fix It week day 4: the events after 4A never happened. A much better outcome for the town line scene. Thanks, Shay and Lindsay, again, for your eyes.**

* * *

Mournful eyes, an electric blue coat and a kiss he wished he could imprint upon himself forever. That's how Robin would remember this day, the day he crossed over the town line and said goodbye to the woman he loves.

Stepping back, hands connected, he passes through the magic barrier, feeling the ripples at his skin as more and more of him moves through. She gives him a little tug, just a little one, a sort of encouragement (that she desperately doesn't want to give but she knows Robin needs it) and his wrist comes back through the barrier. Brows furrowing, she tugs again and more of his arm reappears.

Regina gasps; she has an idea — no guarantee it will work or what it will do, but she's read up on barriers, she's well versed on matters of magic to keep people out of places they don't belong... the worst it can do is stop another from entering. So she tugs, tugs again and, in moments, Robin is back through that barrier.

He opens his mouth to ask what's going on, only for Regina to interrupt. She explains that he should try linking hands with Marian and Roland and, with her link with him still intact, she can pull them all back through, explaining that, if it doesn't work, the worst that'll happen is that Roland and Marian won't be able to come back through.

Not that that isn't bad enough, but still.

The return of Marian's curse is a chance they have to take, and it may not work at all, but it's worth a chance. Taking a deep breath, Robin steps across the town line, hand still firmly in Regina's, as he tells Marian to take his and Roland to follow.

As soon as Robin gives them the okay, Regina takes a deep breath and pulls on Robin's hand. The magical force field makes sure that their task isn't easy, that it takes a great deal of her physical and mental strength, but she can feel the light magic flowing through her fingertips through to Robin, Marian and Roland.

With one more pull, the three of them break through the barrier, meeting the ground in a most unceremonious manner, but all relatively unscathed.

Robin ensures Marian and Roland are fine (yes, they are, asides from a few minor scratches — and Marian's curse is still broken, thank God) before he turns to Regina.

He holds his hand out to her.


	16. Undone

**For OQ Fix It week day 5: Offscreen. A post-vault-action scene..! Muchas gracias, Lee and Lindsay, for reading this over for me!**

* * *

Sated and sweaty; that's Regina's state, lying beside her thief, her heart only beginning to slow, the ache in her thighs starting to abate as she stretches out.

Sweaty she's not keen on, but sated? That's a feeling she could get addicted to. With a smirk, she turns onto her side, uncaring of the sheets barely covering her lower half, watching Robin as he comes down from the same high she had.

"What is it?" He asks, once he comes back to Earth and notices that she's staring. "No really, what?"

She reaches out and places her hand on his chest, fingertips tracing tiny circles against his skin. "Still the first time, huh?" She should feel guilty about this turn of events and later, she will, but right now, she's in post-coital bliss and damn any other emotion trying to break its way through.

He simply shakes his head with a grin. "You know, breakfast is still on the table..."

Regina rolls onto her back with a laugh, suppressing the urge to make any crass sexual innuendo. "Funnily enough, I have to be somewhere," recalling the text from Mary Margaret she received as she was getting dressed before they got distracted. With that, she rises and with a flick of a wrist, is redressed and decidedly unsweaty, throwing a pillow at Robin as he groans an _ohhhh_ at her newly clothed state, as well as his own.

He wasn't wearing much other than a pair of sweatpants and a tank before and, as he approaches Regina, she smiles and puts her hands up. "I really have to go, Robin. I'm already late."

"I was only going to kiss you goodbye, your majesty," he pleads, Regina's brow raising as she acquiesces and lets him closer, their lips fusing with a gentleness that Regina barely knew before he came into her life.

They kiss and kiss and kiss, in fact; tardiness be damned, and Regina feels Robin's hands at her blouse, undoing the first few buttons. That's when she pulls away with a playful, unimpressed look, placing her hands over his to stop him.

"I thought you were going to behave yourself," she quips, placing his hands back to his sides.

"I thought about it... does that count?" He asks with a puppy-dog look that could make any woman melt.

But Regina Mills is not _any_ woman and she is running behind. "As much as I'd like to stay, I've really got to go," she murmurs before she presses another kiss to his lips. "I'll see you soon."

With that, she poofs herself to Mary Margaret's, completely forgetting that she is partially - or perhaps even completely - undone.


	17. The Bartender and the Thief

**For OQ Fix It week day 6: Roni. Thanks, Emily and Lindsay, for trawling through this one - I had fun writing it! No one's woken up from any curse in this (is there even a curse? That's up to you!) and I think you can guess who the cursed names belong to :)**

* * *

He's got a whisky on the rocks, she's got a milkshake. He's a twenty-something man, she's a preteen girl. Despite their differences, Henry and Lucy sit in the middle of Roni's bar, talking in hushed tones, quite obviously conspiring.

"He was staring at her again today," Lucy tells Henry, who nods, fingers tapping on the table. "Like, he actually had that dazed look in his eyes!" She's excited and understandably so - her momma's friend has been single for so long and despite all the attractive, possibly eligible men - and women - that come through those doors every day, nothing has lasted more than a matter of months.

Roni constantly insists that she is happy just as she is. She has her friends, her customers, her life. Henry understands this, feeling much the same, needing the space and time to heal after the death of his wife and young daughter, but there is a teeny tiny part of him that is an eternal optimist, that says 'sure, you may be happy as you are, and that's great, but it can't hurt to share that with someone, should the right person come along.'

And that's where Lucy comes in. The girl spends a lot of time in this place - Roni looks after her like some sort of surrogate nanny whilst Jacinda is working - and she knows he looks at her. Joe, the other bartender, the one with the British accent, friendly eyes and Theo, an adorable son, looks at Roni with such admiration she swears she can see literal heart eyes pop from his face.

Lucy had cornered Henry, picking over some chips and salsa, some weeks before, had explained everything she knew and, before the hour was up, enlisted his help in getting the two on a date.

Except… there was no way either was ever going to agree to a date with the other. They both had strict _no fraternising with the employees_ rules for themselves, so all it came down to was unashamed flirting and longing looks.

* * *

"Hey, Joe," Roni calls out, walking up to where he's standing at the bar, unaware of the two pairs of eyes scrutinising her every move. "Could you do me a massive favour?"

"And what is that, your highness?" He replies with a smirk, placing yet another clean, dry glass upon the bartop.

"Can you stay late tomorrow to help me clean up after this party event… thing?" Roni doesn't usually like to close her place to all customers, but the head guest had put down a sizeable deposit - more like a full downpayment on the place to secure it for the evening - that would keep Victoria goddamn Belfry out of her hair for at least another month. "I know you have Theo on Thursdays, but…" Joe puts his hand up and onto hers, effectively stopping her in her tracks. "Please?" She bats her lashes a little - not a Roni thing, not at all - but she needn't of bothered.

"I already asked Big Guy to keep an eye on Theo tomorrow. I figured you might need a little help if they've put a deposit that hefty down already. You didn't even need to ask," he smiles, his dimples on full show and Roni swears she feels her knees go a little weak.

And she could kiss him. Honestly, she could. Instead, she reaches over the bar and squeezes his hand with a profuse _thank you, thank you, thank you_ before she's called away to serve one of her customers.

Henry and Lucy grin at one another. Operation Blind Date. Status: underway.

* * *

Roni flicks the off switch to the bar sign the following evening, putting up a notice that they're closed for a private function and back to usual business tomorrow lunchtime. She sighs, running her hands through her short curls; the place is pristine, fully stocked, but that's about all right now - the organiser had given absolutely no instructions as to how to set the place up… or much of anything really. All they had asked is that she attend, she had a spare pair of hands to help her and that there were candles.

A candle on each table. That she could do and so the place was bathed in a warm, hazy glow. It's quite romantic, she muses - if you're into that sort of thing. Joe appears behind her with a bowl of mac and cheese - the one food request they were given to fulfil - and places it on the counter.

"What time were the guests meant to arrive?" He asks, wiping down the bar for the umpteenth time, just to have something to do.

"Eight." It's almost twenty past. Roni whips out her phone and checks the email correspondence between herself and the organiser. "Definitely eight… and no phone number to call. Hm." She fires off a quick ' _we're waiting'_ email, but nothing comes back… not at nine, nor half nine, when Roni is so frustrated at the fact that she kept her bar closed for nothing, that she all but throws her phone onto the bar, Joe stopping it from crashing to the floor below.

She's huffing, frustration written clearly on her face when Joe rounds the bar and reaches out to put his hand on her bicep. "I know it's disappointing, but… I guess you get a night off."

Roni shakes her head furiously. "I like to work, Joe. I like it. It gives me purpose." And, to Joe, that sounds quite sad. He urges her a little closer, his arm coming around her shoulders, hugging her to his side.

"Well how about... " he glances over at the big bowl of cheesy goodness. "How about we work on cleaning this pasta bowl, huh?"

The brunette turns and spies the bowl also. She notices just how hungry she is, how loud her stomach protests its emptiness and she shrugs, just as Joe's stomach does the same. They both laugh and Joe picks it up. "Seriously. First one to say they're full has to take a tequila shot."

She squints. "You talk as if that's a bad thing," she laughs as they sit opposite one another, the bowl between them as the candles around them burn on.

* * *

"I am… whoa. I can't… I think I'm a goddamn piece of macaroni," Roni groans, popping open the top button of her jeans as she slumps backwards over her chair in a melodramatic fashion. "Ha! Maca _roni_!" And they both chuckle at the, frankly quite terrible, joke. "I am so full!"

Joe is much the same, sans the open button, but grinning. "We finished the pasta though. Not a bite went to waste." And it's true. Over the course of an hour, they have talked everything from politics, both local and national (a sore subject) to music (they, unsurprisingly, have a very similar music taste - Joe's a dab hand at the guitar, Roni a bit of a drummer), through to past loves, both human and abstract… all over cheesy noodles. They're both at an unfamiliar ease with one another, almost like they've known each other in some past life, but they both laugh that one off, continuing to talk about their past misdemeanours - Roni having been a bit of a tearaway teen with an ambitious streak, Joe having been arrested for shoplifting in his twenties, but both have calmed down significantly; her bar and his son veering them both off what could have been a pretty destructive path.

"You're fascinating," he says, picking up the bowl and rising to take it to the sink behind the bar. Roni follows with a smile, brushing her hair back behind her ears.

"I am? I don't think anyone's ever said that before. I normally get… secretive," she shrugs as he comes back to stand beside her.

"Then you must have opened up a great deal tonight, as I thought nothing of the sort." His arm tentatively extends out to lay his hand over hers and she too throws caution to the wind as she tilts her head up to look at him.

 _Damn, she's gorgeous._

 _Damn, he's gorgeous._

And it's happening. Like a pair of magnets, they are drawn together, Roni's eyes falling closed just as Joe's lips brush hers… and right at the wrong time, her phone buzzes.

With a soft curse, she turns away and fumbles for the offending object, her notifications telling her she has an email from none other than her no-show tonight. With a growl and every intention of telling this particular guest where to shove it, she opens the mail, only to find something quite unexpected.

 _Operation Blind Date was a success!_

 _You two lovebirds can thank us later._

 _Henry & Lucy (with a little help from Theo and Big Guy)_


	18. The Woman with the Feather Tattoo

**For OQ Fix It week day 7: wildcard! Seems I had so much fun writing for Roni day that I decided to do it all over again! This sort of acts as a prequel to yesterday's entry, but at the same time, it doesn't, so you don't need to have read the first. Thank you, Emily and Lindsay, for being actual babes and reading this!**

* * *

It's with a heavy sigh that Joe leaves the recording studio. He had his heart set on music being the way he makes a living, showing his young son that you can follow your dreams and still want for nothing. Despite the advance from their previously very interested record label, nothing was coming of the Merry Men's music. They were well received live, of course, had a great time gigging up and down the west coast, but their record sales nor downloads were nothing to shout about, the disappointment causing their creative juices to dry up. Joe tried in vain to encourage his fellow bandmates, but all it did was cause arguments.

It was Big Guy that suggested that they call it a day - their friendship was worth far more than some recording contract, fame or money. Although reluctant to give up, it had been six months, and he was right: they would all need one another and there was no way that bruised pride should be able to come between that.

So he's wandering along in Hyperion Heights, trying to figure out what he's going to do, seeing as he has no plan b. He's got enough money left from his inheritance to tide he and Theo over for a few months, but what then? He shakes his head, pulling his jacket around him a little tighter, the cold December wind chilling his bones and, as he looks up, he notices the sign posted in the window of one of the buildings.

 _Wanted: experienced bar staff. Apply within - ask for Roni._

He looks at the sign above the door. _Roni's_. Figures. He's nothing to lose now so, with a huff, he pushes the door open.

* * *

Joe already feels at home within the homely ambience of the bar, all wood and coolness - somewhere his band would have loved to have played. He can't keep thinking like that, of course, as the band are no more and that's that.

His eyes dart around the place - which is buzzing with low chatter - looking for the lady in question when his eyes fall upon a curly-haired brunette with the most stunning face he's ever seen. A face that _feels_ familiar, but he, for the life of him, cannot fathom why.

He approaches the bar, grateful for the mere fact that he has a legitimate question that gives him the excuse to talk to her. Clearing his throat, he leans on the bar, sliding onto one of the stools. "Hi, I'm looking for Roni."

She doesn't look up from her task - measuring shots with a trained eye - but responds anyway. "Who's asking?"

"Me. I saw the sign in the window - looking for bar staff?"

She looks up then, coffee meeting sea and she smirks. The British accent was one thing, but his face is a completely different story - he's her kind of handsome and it's just as well she really needs someone who can handle the busy weekend shifts, otherwise she might be accused of hiring someone entirely on their looks.

"Ah, good, I was hoping someone would take notice." She holds her hand out. "I'm Roni. Pleasure to meet you."

Ah, so if she's Roni, then she's the boss and that's never a good idea. He shakes her hand and smiles, dimples clear on display. "Joe."

"Well, Joe, what brings you to Hyperion Heights, huh?"

He explains that his ex-wife was a Seattle native and that he moved here with her, yet when they split a year ago, he'd become so enamoured with the place that he decided to stay close by. "That and my son, of course."

She nods, passing the drink she was making to her awaiting customer, taking the payment with thanks and a smile. "Okay, well, how about you come back to my office and we can chat there?" She looks up and over the young man making small talk with one of the other regulars. "Hey, Henry, can you keep an eye on the bar whilst I chat to Joe here?"

Henry comes over with a nod, introducing himself as _not_ a bartender, rather just a friend of Roni's who knows how to pull a pint. Taking his place behind the bar, Roni thanks him profusely, leading Joe to her office.

* * *

It's organised chaos, he muses, everything with a rightful place, just with a lot of… mess. There's a wide shot of the Seattle skyline at night above her desk, a framed shot of some decorative feathers - there are quite a few feathers about, actually - and the odd personal effect, but that aside, it's pretty business-like.

"I know what you're thinking," she says, taking a seat and swivelling round to face him, indicating for him to take a seat, which he does. "Not very personal. I prefer to keep the two separate, work and my other life, you know?"

He nods. "I don't blame you." Work and his personal life had gotten so inexplicably intertwined that it had all suffered. "So, what do you need to know?"

"Whether you have any experience," she deadpans. "Really, I'm looking for someone I have to do little training with, who's good with people, got a sense of humour and can just handle a busy night without cracking."

It's quite a few specifications, but Joe is pretty certain he has them all. "I think I can do that for you."

"And you know how to make a Horsefeather?" she asks. This is what stumps most people.

"Rye whisky, ginger beer, bitters and lemon. Easy."

She's impressed. A grin spreads across her face and she nods. "Good. Now, before I make my final decision, is there anything else you think I should know?"

He wasn't going to mention it. It's the thing that's prevented him from getting some good roles in the past and this may be the first time ever that he's considered not mentioning it, but his impulse to tell the truth and be completely and utterly honest with people wins out, as always.

"I… I was arrested for shoplifting a couple of times." He expects it then, a _thanks, but no thanks_ , before he's shown the door, but instead, Roni's eyebrow lifts.

"Right - when?" she asks, calm.

"About ten years ago."

"And what was it you took?"

Goodness, he can't even remember what started the whole thing, but he remembers what it was that got him caught. "Condoms." How could he forget?

Roni's eyes widen and her lips bear the faintest hint of a smile. "Well, at least you were being responsible, huh? And you've not done it since?"

He shakes his head with certainty. "No, not done it ever since then. Also don't want my son to think that that is the normal thing to do if you see what I mean."

"Absolutely," she nods. "So, do you think you can start this Saturday?"

Joe just stares at her for several moments before realising that she's said something that requires an answer. "Saturday?"

"Yes - unless you don't want the job after all..?"

"No, I do, I'm just used to people being put off by my past."

Roni simply shrugs. "We've all done things we're not proud of, but we shouldn't be defined by our past. We can change, can't we? Make good of the present and future without being chastised for what we'd rather forget. So, the job's yours, Joe."

He holds his hand out to her and she takes it, giving it a firm shake. "I am honoured to accept."

She nods, pursing her lips before speaking again. "I do want to ask you something, however… if you don't mind."

"Sure, go ahead. I've got a question to ask you too, but ladies first."

"Okay. What's a guy like you doing in a bar like mine, asking for a job?" He's surprised by the question and she rushes to explain. "Don't get me wrong, I'm very glad I've found someone who knows the difference between a Horsefeather and a Manhattan, but… you look as if you should be on the cover of a magazine." She blushes a little as she states this last point, Joe considering how to answer.

"I was in a band, the Merry Men," he explains and Roni chuckles at the name. "Yes, I know, but that's what you get for coming from Nottingham. Anyway, we were destined for great things and I absolutely love music, listening, creating, just feeling it, we had a very interested label, but it just wasn't the same once we thought we were getting somewhere - the creative side of things just perished," he shrugs. "And not just for me, for all of us. It's not enough to rely on your current content, you've got to always be thinking of what it is you want to do next, how to keep the audience interested - tough when you can't figure out what your first line of your first verse is," he explains, almost exasperatedly. "We came to a mutual decision that our friendship was worth more than fame."

Roni gives a sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry about that. It's admirable though."

He gives her a puzzled look. "What? What is?"

"That you tried and that, despite all of that, you could put your relationships before your ambitions. That's a hard thing to do." I should know, she silently adds but decides not to dwell on it. "You said you had a question for me?"

"Ah, yes." His eyes dart around the room, at all the feathers. "Wondering what significance the feathers have."

Roni relaxes, nodding at his words. "I love them. I always feel that even if I'm having a terrible day or I'm going to be having one of _those_ days, that if I see a feather, it's going to be okay, no matter what. It's something that hasn't let me down yet."

"No wonder you mentioned the Horsefeather," he grins.

"Indeed, one of my favourites. And look." She pulls back the sleeve of her denim jacket and reveals the permanent ink on her wrist.

He stares at the tattoo - a feather - and his mind starts racing, more so when his fingers gently trace the edges. This also seems so familiar; everything seems so damn familiar, yet his mind is a complete fog.

"What is it?" she asks after a time.

"It's just," he replies, continuing to run his fingertips over her skin, "this, you, this setup… it seems so familiar."

Roni lets out a laugh, shaking her head. "Perhaps I have a common face."

"Oh no, milady, hardly. I just can't help but feel like we've met before." It sounds ludicrous, but it's a feeling Joe's just not been able to shake ever since he wandered into the bar.

"Maybe we have," she shrugs, "in another life."


	19. Apples in the Summer are Golden Sweet

**A while ago I wrote a one-shot called Heart Throbs and Apple Seeds (chapter 3 in this collection) and so, here's a continuation. You'd have to read the first instalment, however!**

 **Thank you, Lindsay, for the readthrough and Brittany for both the idea and the intricate beta! :) Go check out her fics on ffnet at sbstevenson2!**

* * *

The lady from the store was right. The apple tree - Marian - had been the perfect way to remember his late wife. Every few months, with daily love and care from both he and Roland, the plant would produce new apples, and Roland would pick a couple to eat but they left a couple to drop of their own accord.

That had been Roland's idea. The first time an apple had dropped without their help, Roland had picked it up and bitten into it, proclaiming that it was the tastiest, sweetest apple he had _ever_ tasted. Robin had reached out to pick the remaining fruit, but Roland had stopped him.

 _No papa. Don't pick it. When it drops, it means that momma is saying that they're the_ tastiest _apples!_

Alongside their daily letters to Marian, Roland speaks to the plant as he tends to it, and Robin is just glad he is finding solace in such a simple idea. Robin himself almost believes Marian herself is the tree.

He really needs to find that girl and thank her.

* * *

As luck would have it - and luck isn't often on his side - he sees that face again one summer day when he's out shopping. He's passing by a grocery store and just happens to look up - she's in there, poring over, funnily enough, apples. He takes a breath and heads in.

"I suggest this particular one, milady. They're very tasty."

Said lady jumps and turns, her astonished face softening into a smile once she realises just who she is talking to.

"Hey! Fancy seeing you here. Robin, isn't it?"

He nods, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Likewise, Regina. This your local store too?"

"Yeah. Yours?"

"Sort of," he explains. "This place has a better selection of fresh fruit than mine does."

"Ah, yes, this is a great place. It's all organic, sourced locally so everyone wins, you know?"

Robin hums in agreement. "I… actually, I'm glad I ran into you."

That astonished face makes a brief reappearance. "And why is that?"

"Well..." and it's then he becomes acutely aware of the bystanders around them. "Well, could I take you for a coffee? I'll explain."

It's not like Regina to just drop everything and go for a drink with a random stranger, but he's not _really_ a stranger, and she could do with a chat. "Sure, why not?"

* * *

Chai latte warming her hands, Robin takes his seat opposite her. "Thanks for this," she says, holding up the cardboard mug. She'd offered payment but he was _insistent_ she let him pay.

"Not at all. I rather think you've earned it."

A single raised brow. "How?"

He tells her about Marian - occasionally known as Apple Marian - and how it has really helped Roland (and himself) to deal with their loss, including the dropped apple tales.

"Dropped apple, huh? Sounds like a great name for a store," she smiles, taking a sip of her latte and flicking a tuft of hair behind her shoulder.

"I came by to thank you in person for the suggestion, but your boss told me you'd left a few weeks before." He couldn't quite articulate the disappointment he'd felt in discovering she'd gone, especially as he'd been summoning up the courage for so long, but he's sure it was written all over his face.

The brunette nods. "Yeah. I'd been waiting on hearing back from colleges and I got accepted," and she is clearly ecstatic, the pride clear in her expression, "so I left to do that. Sure, I'm probably the only thirty-something-year-old in the class, but it's nice to feel like I _may_ have some semblance of maturity this time around," she laughs.

"Congratulations Regina. I'm so pleased for you." He reaches over and gives her hand a gentle squeeze, one she doesn't even flinch at. "What are you studying?"

"Plant biology, funnily enough," she admits, pushing her hair back behind her ears. "Makes sense when you think about it."

Robin can't help but agree. "First year, huh? How are you finding it?"

"Well, we're only halfway through the first semester but so far, so good." She goes quiet for a moment. "I was at college before, studying law - not that I wanted to, may I add - just something my mother expected of me." Regina shudders at the thought of Cora, the senior judge of all damn areas of her life, "and when Daniel died, I dropped out. I was halfway through. Not only was I grieving, but I was doing something I hated. So I quit, told my mother that if she didn't like it, I didn't care if she cut me off, she wouldn't have a daughter and I've been doing everything more or less myself ever since." Her eyes widen. "Oh lord, that got deep there, didn't it? I'm sorry, I didn't mean to unleash that all on you."

He shakes his head, reaching for her hand again. "Not at all. Makes a lot of sense. Sorry that your mother's such a bitch though."

Regina smirks slightly before clearing her throat. "Well, bitch she may be, but she's still my mother. Our relationship is strained at best, but it's better than nothing. I guess I just do better by myself." A wistful smile and Robin's heart flip-flops.

In an attempt to cheer her up a little, Robin asks whether she's planning on doing any experiments on apples. She laughs at that, a genuine thing, asking, "do you mean do I think I'm gonna try and clone them? No! I'm not really into genetically modifying nature either, before you ask."

Their conversation is easy, thankfully, and they both lose track of time, Regina only noticing they've been sitting there deep in conversation for the best part of an hour when she glances at her watch. "I've got class in half an hour," she tells him, whereas he's got Roland to collect. "Hey, how about…" she rummages around in her bag for a spare scrap of paper and a pen, scrawling her number on it, sliding it over. "How about you keep me up-to-date with Marian? Send me pictures, recipes… you know." She bites her lip. "Not usual for me to just give my number out to _anyone_."

"Okay, Regina Mills," he reads from the sheet. "I will keep you fully updated. Thank you for this."

She stands. "No, thank you for thanking me. When I did this originally and my mother found out, she thought it was ridiculous. She actually mocked me for it. But this? This means the world to me, that it helped you, too. So, thank _you_. And I'm sure I'll speak to you soon." With a grateful smile, Regina leaves the cafe, lighter, positive that something good is going to come this summer.


	20. Upheaval

**This one's a little tenuous as the prompt was so open, but enjoy this piece of fluff for OQPP day 3. Thank you, Lindsay, for the beta!**

 **#16 - no one dies and everything ends happy**

"How are we going to tell him?" Robin says, stroking his wife's shoulder as her head rests against his arm. She's three months pregnant, starting to show and what seems to be permanently sick. Henry is asking questions like why is momma sick? And why is momma crying? Have I made her sad? And they cannot, for the life of them, figure how their son is going to react to having a sibling that will be with them all hours of the day, especially one that will be both Robin and Regina's. Henry has been the sole object of the majority of both Robin and Regina's affections, as well as Daniel's, and both know he relishes it.

Regina sighs, a high-pitched, long sound. "I don't know. Maybe we could just tell him straight." Regina pauses, then shakes her head. "No, that won't work. Hmm, how about… we…"

"Aha!" Robin exclaims and it's almost as if a light bulb is visible over his head and Regina awaits his idea. "There's those books that help the kid undertake what's going to happen… maybe we can get one of those?"

Regina hums and nods. "Sounds like a good idea."

The book comes a couple of days later whilst Regina is feeling absolutely terrible, the child growing in her belly giving her more and more trouble every day. She flicks through the book during a brief respite from her nausea and it makes her smile - it describes everything so well and, with the little illustrations looking like Robin, Henry and herself, she is sure this will work.

When Robin arrives home, they cuddle together on their bed, Henry sitting between them as they flick through the book, explaining that mommy will grow the baby in her stomach and, after nine months, he'll have a brand new little baby brother or sister. Henry stares at the words, registering, comprehending then stares at his parents, one after the other.

"Baby brother? Baby sister?" He asks, a little waver in his voice and Regina knows what's coming. She gathers her son into her arms and cuddles him as Henry starts to cry, Robin stroking his hair as Henry buries his head against Regina's neck.

"What's wrong?" Robin asks and he lifts his head, turning to look at him.

"Am I going to sleep outside with Pepper when he's been a bad puppy?" He asks with a sniff and Robin smiles, taking him from Regina. Pepper hears his name and takes it as an invitation to jump up onto the bed, padding over to Robin and flopping over his legs.

"No, not at all. You're still going to have your room and you're going to still be our boy and we will still love you just as much as we do now. If not more."

Henry stares at him then turns to Regina, who nods in agreement. "We love you so much. Do you know the best thing?" Henry shakes his head. "You get to be a big brother!"

Henry's eyes widen to the size of saucers at that. "Big brother?" He enquires and Regina repeats it. "What does that do?"

"It means you get to help us look after your brother or sister!" Robin responds.

"That doesn't sound like much fun," Henry replies and Regina frowns.

"Henry, you are really lucky. I wanted so much to have a brother or sister but I never had that. You get to have someone to play with and I promise you that you will love your new sibling. I promise."

Henry considers this and then nods. "Okay, momma."

Regina sighs with relief and smiles at her husband and son. "Hey, Henry, wanna say hi to your new brother or sister?"

His eyes light up and he squeals, nodding, Regina lifting her shirt to reveal her teeny tiny bump. She takes Henry's hand and places it on the swollen skin.

"Nothing's happening momma," Henry notes and Regina nods.

"It's because your little sibling is very, very small right now, but my bump will get bigger and the baby will start kicking and you'll be able to feel it."

Henry looks excited then and she claps happily. "Was I once in there?" He points to Regina's belly and Robin tells her that yes, she was, she was once the baby in there and Henry breathes out a wow. He understands what's going on now, he looks happy, settled and, as he snuggles up to his stepfather and their pupper, both acknowledge that the book was a very, very good idea.


	21. Nothing To Worry About

**For OQ Prompt Party day 6 - #159. Jealous Robin.**

 **Thanks to Lindsay for the beta. Without further ado...**

Robin swings by Regina's office as a surprise. She'd been arriving home late pretty often recently and no, he's not checking up on her, he's not, he's surprising her. He wants to take her home then out for dinner. He sees some familiar faces as he waits outside, but none as familiar as Regina's. He gets out of the car after fifteen minutes and, as he's walking towards the building, Killian informs him that Regina's already left, gone to socialise with some of her staff. As much as he doesn't like being left out of the loop, he knows it's probably something she decided last moment and he doesn't want to cramp her style, so he thanks Killian and wishes him a good evening, but not before he's discovered that Regina has a new assistant and, by all accounts, they get on very well.

Several weeks later

"You're late again," Robin notes as Regina kisses him in greeting.

"Am I?" Regina glances at the clock and her mouth forms an 'o'. "So I am. I'm sorry." She kisses him again and heads to the kitchen, slipping off her pantsuit jacket and resting it over the back of a dining chair.

He glances through to the dining room and sighs - he doesn't want to ask, but: "where have you been?"

"Me? I went out after work," she bites her lip as she walks through to the kitchen and prepares to make herself a herbal tea.

"Oh? You didn't say."

"I don't always need to," she bites back and it prompts Robin to stand up and follow her to the kitchen.

"I just missed you this evening. And yesterday evening. And last week…" His arms encircle her waist and she turns in his grasp. "What's going on, Regina?"

"What do you mean 'what's going on'? Nothing is going on." Her eyes don't meet his but he continues to chase her gaze.

"You keep coming home late, not answering your phone…"

"There's not someone else, if you're wondering that," she frustratedly hisses out - really, there isn't.

The thought had crossed his mind for a fleeting second before he dismissed it as stupid. "I'll be honest, I had the thought for a couple of moments. I mean, I've heard about your new assistant, Lucas, and…"

"Ruby Lucas! Her name is Ruby Lucas! She's a woman." Regina removes his hands from her hips then and moves away, leaving Robin feeling like an utter ass. "And yes, I enjoy her company and, so what I went for a couple of drinks after work without telling you. You don't own me, Robin." She throws a wooden spoon in the sink a little more forcefully than intended and stalks back through to the lounge.

Robin takes a deep breath, counting to ten, before following her through, sitting on the opposite side of the sofa. She's mad, can tell by the set of her jaw and her eyes, normally so full of love, cold as ice.

"Regina, I'm sorry," Robin starts lamely and she doesn't even bother shifting at the sound of his voice, instead awaiting his next move. "I… there's not a lot I can say. I feel I haven't really seen you recently, and-"

She turns to him then. "Robin, you see me every evening. I'm your girlfriend, we live together. We. Are. Together." She punctuates every word with force. "You have me for the rest of your life or as long as you want me."

"Forever, then," Robin says dejectedly and that melts Regina's resolve somewhat. "I'm not meaning to stop you from doing what you want or even asking you to tell me everything you're doing, love, you know that's not me." Regina nods in agreement - she knows that really. "I would like to spend some time with you though. I want to keep hold of this thing we have and… I guess… I guess I'm a little jealous." He feels a flush creep up his neck at that.

"Jealous?" Regina gives him a smile and crawls over to his side of the sofa, tucking herself under his arm and extending hers over his belly.

"Yeah, okay, I'm jealous. She gets you all day at work and I… don't." He sighs. "I miss kinda… grabbing you for a quick kiss in your office or taking you for lunch or just talking to you about things that have little significance. Like we used to when I worked at your office." He sighs again, deeper this time and Regina leans up, bussing his lips gently.

She giggles, eliciting a _what_? from him. "Just a grown man getting jealous…" He growls at that and she starts rubbing her hand across his chest. "I'm sorry. I get it, I do." She reaches across for his hand and kisses it gently. "I promise we'll see each other more, okay? And it's Friday too… you have got me to yourself all weekend. Robin Locksley gets aaaaall of Regina Mills."

Robin finally grins at that. "All, hmm?" He says, leaning down to kiss her.

"Mmm, every… last… part…" Regina whispers and their lips meet, tongues swiping as Robin's hands find her cheeks. "Why don't we start our weekend now?"


	22. Take A Chance

**For day 2 (Tuesday) of OQHE week. Thank you to Lindsay (who read this when I'd all but passed out from exhaustion on our way to our hotel… thanks and sorry!), Lisa and Emily who read through this. Mwah! Enjoy!**

* * *

Regina's blasted mirror had many faults, flaws that the Evil Queen would love to exploit to her advantage, but this time around, the man had something to offer that would benefit them all.

By some miracle, the mirror was not only able to show Regina the goings on in the Enchanted Forest, but also back in Storybrooke. Each day, Hook would check in on his progress of getting Emma to believe and, each day, it felt like they were getting just a little closer to getting home.

For Regina, however, it was Henry who was her main focus. The light of her life for as long as he had been alive, she very much felt his absence. The fact he couldn't remember her at all both comforted her - he wouldn't have to feel the pain of their separation - and killed her all at once. Emma's belief would bring them all back together. Or so she hoped.

It wasn't just the fact that she missed her darling boy dearly; she wanted to share the biggest development in her life with him. Robin (Hood… yes, _that_ Robin, she could imagine saying, in response to his wide-eyed repetition of the British legend's name) had barrelled into her life much the same as his adorable son, Roland, and stayed put.

Robin was very attractive, sure; that cheeky smile and British accent had her captivated, but it was his devotion to his only kid that really grabbed her attention. Their conversations started purely about parenthood, Regina skirting around the subject of her own son until one evening, over a quart of whisky, she confessed to everything that was eating her up inside. Instead of judging her, or offering empty sympathy, Robin simply held her hand as she spoke, letting her release all of her sadness, anger, frustration, _everything_ she had to give.

Then it blossomed. Beautifully. Robin told Regina of the loss of his wife, Roland's mother, how he blamed himself, and Regina repaid the favour, telling him how Daniel's love for her was to be his demise. They supported one another, their families and friends and fell into an easy rhythm, co-parenting without even arranging it, and it was Regina's idea of heaven.

Almost. If Henry could be in her life again, then it would be perfect.

* * *

It takes the pirate some days ( _irresistable, my arse_ , Robin tells Regina when he hadn't completed his mission within one day like he had been boasting he would) to get Emma on side enough to take a chance on the memory potion. It works, thankfully, and as Emma speaks to Regina through the mirror, she can hear Henry in the distance, asking her who she's speaking to. It breaks her heart to be so close, yet so far.

There's not enough potion left for Henry too, so that plan's out and there's absolutely no way Emma's going to leave Henry out in the world alone, especially with no guarantee that they can get back to Storybrooke.

There's various suggestions, but none seem to work. The town team sit around the mirror and wrack their brains, yet the only thing they seem to be able to come up with is opening a portal.

A couple of issues with that plan, of course. There has to be a magic bean still in the real world, of course, but with Henry still a non-believer (and worried about his mother's increasingly erratic behaviour), how would they even guarantee his safe passage through to the Enchanted Forest? In fact, what guarantee would there even be that the Enchanted Forest could be reached?

In the end it's Emma that makes the final decision. Archie tells her there is a magic bean stashed away at the back of a locked compartment of his bureau (gaining a few mutters), the key under a loose floorboard under Pongo's bed. So it's set.

* * *

Emma falls through the portal first. Snow and Charming rush over to their daughter, checking she's alright as Emma brushes off the twigs and earth off her trademark red jacket. Regina, however, only gives her the briefest of glances before she turns her attentions back to the portal, the ripples and flames, fingers bunching into fists, every second passing making it less likely that her son is also coming through.

It's with a yelp that he falls through. Regina rushes over to him, falling to her knees in the most unqueenly of fashions (even in her corseted dress) beside him, stroking his hair away from his face and watching as his eyes flicker open and focus straight on her.

 _Mom?_ It's the only word she needs. Henry sits up and launches his arms around Regina's neck, Regina's own reciprocating the gesture as she buries her head against his neck, reacquainting herself with his scent, something she's missed so desperately. She pulls back, tears in her eyes, letting them fall as she presses her lips to his forehead.

They all feel the forcefield around them, surging pleasant electricity through their veins, returning them all to full strength and clarity. The kiss must have broken the rest of the curse, for a blue cloud passes them overhead and, for once, they feel no trepidation, no fear… only the hope that a happy ending is just around the corner.

* * *

Alas, no. It wasn't to be. Although the cloud had been calming, it wasn't the portal back to Storybrooke they had wished for. Back to square one for the ever-suffering residents of a small town in Maine, but for one of those inhabitants, life felt more complete than ever.

Henry had reacted to his mother's new relationship just as she thought he would. He was impressed and awed by the famous archer, but wasn't at all scared to tell him that he better treat his mom well, or he'd have him to answer to.

Robin took the whole conversation good-naturedly, promising Henry that he would always act with honour towards his mother and his family, just as he does with his own family and merry men. In turn, he introduces Henry to Roland, who is instantly taken with his new big brother. He follows him around like his little shadow, enraptured with the comic books Henry talks about and, in return, Roland shows Henry how to hold a bow properly.

Robin and Regina's relationship goes from strength to strength, enhanced by their boys' instant partnership and both resolve that, even if they never make it back to Storybrooke, they're happy with their lives.

Although Snow and Charming have told her that she is more than welcome back to the castle to live, she decides that there are far too many bad memories and, instead, she opts to move into a small house in the grounds, big enough for the family of four to live happily.

Despite the comfortable situation, Regina doesn't stop working hard to find a solution to their location issue. In fact, it's something Robin says to her that sets the cogs in her brain going.

 _You have a piece of my heart, Regina. You will always have a piece of my heart, and with that, know that you will never fail me, you will never be alone._

She has piece of his heart. He loves her and, just as much, he has piece of hers. What about a piece of Snow's? Charming's? The other people she loves? The original dark curse needed the heart of the thing she loved most… so it would make sense that a new curse could be made from all the hearts of the people she loves most, willingly given and cast with all the best of intentions. It wouldn't even be a curse. It would be a second chance.

And with the support of Robin and their children, Regina's willing to take that chance.


	23. Facing Up

**For day 3 (Wednesday) of OQ Happy Ending week. It's a bit of a dubious happy ending, but you'll see why. Thank you Lindsay and Shay for reading this one!**

* * *

It feels like knives are tearing through Regina's lungs each time she takes a breath. Tiny, sharp blades continuously nicking and slicing as she sinks against the wall. She can hear shouts and angry chants way off in the distance and it's deafening.

They're awake. They're out for her blood.

When Emma Swan had come to town, Regina was apoplectic with rage. She was never meant to make it this far, but she had become one hell of a thorn in her side.

First and most importantly, Henry. She knew she and her son had been going through their issues and, at the beginning, she had put it down to preteen angst, but when Ms. Blanchard had placed that storybook in his hands, she'd kickstarted a whole spiral and, when Henry had brought her to town, the mood started to shift. Everything was a game.

There was also Graham, of course, and Emma's assumed role as Sheriff in the wake of his death (Regina blocks out her actions there - that'll be just one more question she'll have to answer, and she knows exactly what drove her), bringing the biased support she got from the rest of the townfolk.

Amongst it all, however, was one shining beacon. His name was Robin Hood, he had an adorable son, Roland, and although he irked her to no end when they first met, that mutual mocking blossomed into something quite sweet. He may not have been awake, as such, though he had his free will, but it seemed the curse really did work in her favour; the only happy ending was hers.

Regina was, at first, reluctant to admit there were any problems between she and her son, but she had eventually confided in Robin, and he let her speak, throw angry words around about Sheriff Swan, just let her get every single drop of negative emotion out of her body. She was spent by the time she had finished, slumped against his side, but she knew then that, no matter if the curse was broken or not, Robin wouldn't abandon her.

It changed her outlook on things. From then on, spurred by Robin's love and support, Roland's innocence and the possibility of being reunited with her son, Regina told herself she would do whatever it would take to become a better person, the sort of person any son would want as a mother.

This newfound positivity wasn't to last for long. A cursed apple turnover she had baked for Miss Swan was her undoing. She'd intended for Emma to eat the pastry and fall into a deep sleep, much like her mother, but Regina had got distracted. Being so focused on her own self-improvement, the pastry sat at the back of the fridge, forgotten, until one day where Henry wanted one of his mother's tastiest snacks.

Emma had been with him as he'd clocked the treat and drew it out, watching as he took a bite. Then, in slow motion, she witnessed his eyes rolling into the back of his head and his body slumping to the floor.

Regina had been in her office when she got the call, rushing straight to the hospital to find her son in what could only be described as a coma, reasons unknown. Regina stood aside as Whale spoke to Emma, asking her to recount Henry's last steps and, upon the mention of just what he had eaten, Regina froze. This was all her doing.

Seems Emma had the same idea, for she grabbed Regina's arm and pulled her to face her, both hands gripping hard around her biceps. It hurt, but it was nothing compared to what was going on right now, to Henry, to Emma. She could barely respond to the Sheriff's biting words, the air in her chest getting less and less as Emma asked more and more.

She eventually managed a keening _YES!_ , telling the blonde that, actually, the pastry was meant for her. That takes Emma aback, loosening her death grip on Regina, moving closer to Henry's bedside. Emma tells her to leave, but she stands strong. Henry is her son too, no matter the circumstance and Regina knows she has to let the woman break the curse.

 _True love's kiss_ , she whispers and Emma's head darts up. _True love's kiss can break any curse_. Indeed it can, for as Emma presses her lips to Henry's forehead, there's a gentle whooshing forcefield as Henry takes his first living breath. He sits up, leaning straight into Emma's arms before turning wide-eyed to Regina. He stares at her, even as tears run down her face. Regina manages nothing more than an _I do love you, Henry,_ before she runs out of the ER.

And now she's here, in the janitor's closet, struggling for breath. She counts in her head, one, two, as she breathes deeply, then out again, just to grasp some semblance of control over her racing mind. It's the only way she's going to be able to get out of this room, after all, for now the curse has broken, she has magic again, and casting any spell without a clear, focused mind is recipe for disaster. Not that this is disaster enough.

It takes five minutes, maybe longer, she doesn't know, to find the strength to flick her wrist. When she does, however, she's engulfed in purple smoke and, thankfully, she lands right where she wants; her bedroom.

She doesn't have time to reflect on anything at all, the fact that she shares this bedroom with her thief, the little drawings from Roland tacked up on her vanity, the sweet photo of she and Henry propped up on her nightstand. She grabs the first bag she can find, stuffing it with the basics she needs to sustain herself for as long as she needs, as well as that photo of she and Henry and her favourite drawing of Roland's.

She's running away.

She's in such a trance that she misses the door slamming beneath her, the frantic footsteps on the stairs and the new presence in the doorway.

"Regina?" Robin is standing there, confused. "What is..?"

"Robin, please, let me do this," she pleads, but she continues to flit about.

"Do what?" Realisation dawns on him. "You're… running away? Regina, you can't."

Regina does stop then, turning to him with tear-glazed eyes. "Yes I damn well can."

He steps in and attempts to take her wrists, but she yanks them away. "Is it true?" He then asks. "Henry's in a coma because of you? That… that I have all these new memories because of you?"

"Yes." She's not going to deny it. She's too tired to deny it. "Yes, I cast a curse, yes I was careless with my son's life, yes, yes, yes. Goddamn, the answer to pretty much every question you're about to ask me is likely going to be yes. So can you just leave me be?"

Now, that would be the easy way out. Robin could - and probably should - turn his back on Regina right now and march right out of the mansion without a second glance. The memories he has from before aren't new as such, as much as they're new (yet not) right this moment, but he also has memories he made with Regina. The way they made each other laugh, the fact that Roland adores her, how she asked him if he wanted to move in with her to save them both the uncomfortable floors of the forest (with an added _you can pitch a tent in the yard if you really must_ ). He hadn't felt that kind of connection since before Marian's death, and yes, he is aware she has done some terrible things, but she was awake the entire time and made such a conscious effort to change.

"I'm not abandoning you."

That makes Regina stop in her tracks. "You should."

"Mmm, and you shouldn't have cast a curse," he replies and she winces at that. "Point is, Regina, you have tried to change. Henry sees that too." Regina's expression shifts then, her eyes are softer, calmer. "Remember? He was coming over for dinner tonight. He knew you were really trying. For him."

She nods. "For you and Roland too. For myself."

"Exactly," he agrees.

"But it doesn't change what I've done." That franticness she was feeling before comes back tenfold and she rushes around the room again, eager to get away before she can change her mind… or have her mind changed for her.

"So you're just gonna disappear, are you? Out of our lives, out of Roland's life without so much of a goodbye?" He's angry himself now. "Regina, you're being a coward. Of course, the town is going to want answers, but how guilty are you going to look if you don't even have the nerve to face them?"

"I _am_ guilty, Robin!" she explodes. "I stole their happy endings, I almost killed my own son. I am guilty of every offence they're going to throw at me."

"Then own your mistakes. What you forget is that you gave them relatively comfortable lives outside of the Enchanted Forest. Storybrooke is a small marvel compared to what they're used to." Robin sits on the bed, reaching for her hand, and although she hesitates at first, Regina lets him take it. "I also heard it was Emma who broke the curse and, please excuse my frankness, but that woman wouldn't know how to break a curse even if she was explicitly told how to do it."

She sees what he's trying to say. "I told her how to break it."

"Yes, you did," he hums, "and Henry is alive and safe. You've made mistakes, Regina - haven't we all? I know the town thinks of Emma as some sort of saviour, but she's made mistakes too. If this town isn't prepared to see the sort of sacrifices that you made for your son, that you've tried to change, that the whole reason he's also alive is because of you… then they don't deserve you. And I stand by that. I will stand by you, whatever they say."

He squeezes her hand and Regina drops the bag in the other to the floor. She sits next to him on the bed, realising all he's saying is true; she's got to face the consequences of her actions. Then, and only then, can she really start to heal and redeem herself.

"It's gonna be tough," Robin tells her, "but as long as you keep looking forward and just try to push away those dark impulses I know you feel … then perhaps those you hurt will forgive you. No promises, no guarantees, but maybe. Just maybe."

She nods and tucks her head under his chin. There is a pounding at the front door and Regina knows it's time to face her people. She stands and peers out of the window to the walkway below and sure enough, there is a crowd, but they seem a lot calmer than she expected. With a nod, she leaves the room, with Robin closely in tow.

She reaches for his hand as she reaches for the lock on the door. "One question, Regina," and she hums in response. "How exactly were you planning to make it over the town line?"

Regina shakes her head and opens the door to a crowd full of questions.


	24. Flipside

**For day 4 (Thursday) of OQ Happy Ending week. Thanks, Lindsay, for reading through**!

* * *

Robin looked at the pixie-like man standing before him. Well, buzzing before him. He'd heard of fairies, but none ever came to visit, so he always shook them off as an urban legend.

This particular fairy had come to him when he was mourning his late wife, Marian. She'd died suddenly of a virulent plague that had been ravaging large parts of the Enchanted Forest. Before he could even consider finding a cure, she'd gone. He'd been on the verge of something stupid, but when he told himself _no_ , the decision was out of his hands, as the railing he'd been shaking snapped and had him plunging to the depths of the river rapids below.

He felt weightless, knowing the final crash at the bottom would spare him from ever feeling this grief again, the water, occupied by sharp rocks sure to pierce getting closer and closer… until it wasn't anymore. No, he was still weightless, but he was floating up. He didn't understand - he didn't have wings, there was no sort of rope pulling him back up from the cliff. Yet here he was, safe and sound, on solid ground.

The fairy in question had introduced himself as Will Scarlet ( _that's an odd name for a fairy_ , he'd told him, to which Will responded that _Robin was just as weird - why would you be named after a bird?_ Touché.) and, from then on, the duo became firm friends. Robin didn't just see him as the fairy who saved his life, and Will didn't just see Robin as a guy with a broken heart. In fact, Robin and his gang, the Merry Men welcomed Will into their fold.

That was all well and good, except Robin was still haunted by Marian's death. All the Merry Men had been there when she died and they knew it wasn't his fault, but nothing they could do or say would change his mind. Although the pain wasn't quite as fresh as it had been in the first few months after her death, Will could plainly see what Robin was lacking was a romantic companion.

And he knew exactly where she was.

He'd seen the dark-haired maiden around, with her pretty face, a penchant for whisky ( _the love potion_ , he'd heard her call it) and a famous feather tattoo. Knowing Robin's appreciation for ale and a woman in the same devious profession as he, he bet they would be quite the match. He had a sharp tongue, hers was even sharper. Will couldn't ignore that feeling - that woman was Robin of Locksley's soulmate, yet neither of them knew it. Robin probably wouldn't believe that, but he bet he would accompany him to the tavern.

* * *

Sure enough, Robin was more than happy to go. "If she talks to me and we like each other, I win. If she doesn't like me, there's still beer, so I still win."

Will grimaces, but tells him _that's the spirit_! as they round the passageway to the tavern. Will stands beside him as they both peer in through the door, Will immediately pointing out the woman sitting with his back to her, arm outstretched, the feather tattoo plain to see.

"That's her," he says. "The woman with the feather tattoo."

Robin nods. He hesitates a little, but opens the door, stepping in, before turning back to Will and asking him if he's coming or not.

"No, I'm not. This is your moment. Take it."

Will steps back and lets the door close in front of him. He gives it a few seconds before he's peeking through the door again, delighted to see Robin standing beside his soulmate, hand outstretched in greeting.


	25. Memoriam

**For day one of August Angst fest, prompts below. Beware, this is pure angsty sadness and I almost don't want to post it... Thank you Lindsay and Lisa, and sorry in advance. TWs at the end of the story, in case.**

 _ **Prompts:**_

 _15\. You knew and you did it anyway_

 _20\. Stabbing, shooting, kidnapping_

 _17\. You never made it out_

 _43\. I miss you_

* * *

Ten fingers, ten toes, and a healthy tuft of dark hair. That's what Regina's baby has and the moment she sees him, she falls so deeply in love that she can't imagine ever falling so hard again.

Oh, God. His father. His father is gone, died doing what he did best - his job. She's gone through all the stages of bereavement now, but acceptance still feels a long way off.

She was pregnant when he left her, and she had been _so_ upset, but more than that, ridiculously angry with him for putting himself in unnecessary danger… Which cost him his life. A gangland shootout in which he got caught in the crossfire; totally avoidable in her eyes, completely necessary in his.

That was six months ago as she struggled through the rest of her pregnancy, not wanting anybody's help, which was much the same for the birth. Robin should have been there to hold her hand through it all. He was the only one she wanted, so she opted for no birthing partner, struggling through it alone.

So she's alone now, hugging her tiny baby close to her chest. He was born a month early, not yet ready to face the world, so he's absolutely teeny and Regina can't get over just how perfect he is.

And how devastated she is that his dad is no longer with them.

She'd asked the nurse for some alone time, so when there's a knock on the door, she breathes in to turn the visitor away, but the door is open before she can and she is met with the familiar face of Mary Margaret, and she doesn't know how to react.

After a moment of silence between the two, almost staring one another down, she walks in and approaches Regina, peering down at the still sleeping child. She embraces her then, and the dam bursts as Regina cries into her shoulder, murmuring that she misses Robin.

 _He should be here_ , she says and repeats and repeats again as her baby starts fussing. Mary Margaret pulls back and Regina gazes down at her child, immediately focusing on his eyes.

Robin. His eyes are all Robin's - a truly brilliant blue - and she cries again. It's so painful but so beautiful to know what she imagined came true.

Mary Margaret clears her throat and asks her whether she has a name for the baby.

Regina replies that there's no other name for him but Robin.

Robin Locksley the second, in memoriam.

* * *

 **TW: death**


	26. Deceit

**For August Angst Fest day 2, prompts below. No-one dies in this one! Thanks, Lindsay, for going over this one.**

 **Prompts:**

 _2\. Leave me alone_

 _27\. I have every right to be angry_

 _29\. I didn't mean it like that and you know it_

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Every weekday, Robin witnesses Regina and her boyfriend greet one another in the reception with a kiss, a grin and a goodbye. Each time he's conflicted; she looks so happy and settled with Hyde, yet there is something about this guy that doesn't sit well with him, something that leaves a funny taste in his mouth and all the warning signs go off in his head.

Hyde's an IT contractor, so he comes and goes as he's needed and Robin had witnessed their flourishing friendship, much to his personal chagrin, and when he discovered they were dating some weeks later, he stayed out of her way. Of course, Regina being Regina, she confronted him after several days of the silent treatment, for she couldn't quite figure out what she'd done to upset him.

And he can't lie to her. He just says that he has an awkward feeling about her new man. She tilts her head, then smiles at him, squeezing his bicep gently, saying, "It's okay, Robin. You're still my number one friend." Which doesn't make much sense, and he hates right now that he is single and they are _just friends_ , but he leaves it and promises to try harder.

Regina invites he and Will for drinks later that week, alongside Hyde, and Robin still can't shake that feeling that something isn't quite right. It's not like he's lecherous, seedy or… even weird, he's… just right. Perfect, maybe. He's respectful towards Regina, showering her with compliments and accommodating to the presence of her work husband and his best friend to what was clearly meant to be an evening for two. Too perfect always raises his red flags, and Robin blames years of failed relationships for his cynical attitude. He can't even voice these concerns to Will, for he's laughing away with Hyde about some techy subject. They're clearly getting along and he'll just tell Robin he's being paranoid… or seeing what he wants to see to justify his feelings for Regina.

* * *

Months and months go on like this. Whispers of an engagement are on the horizon and the sheer thought makes Robin's blood run cold. Hyde works with computers, he thinks to himself, and he's not really employed by the company, so he could go talk to his contacts in the agency, see if there's anything untoward to dig up, just to assuage the feeling in his gut - or at least disprove it - but no, he won't do that because if he does find anything, he wouldn't be able to face Regina, knowing what he knows. He'd feel guilty too, that he didn't trust her judgement.

* * *

The engagement _does_ go ahead and Regina _does_ say yes. The ring is beautiful and he doesn't think he's ever seen her so happy. He thinks it might be time to admit defeat; that their timing was terrible and they should just thank God that they're in each other's lives.

He takes a long walk the day she comes back from her engagement vacation, his mind on that expensive piece of jewellery adorning her finger, and he just wants to clear his mind. They'd been joking around in the office when Will carelessly shot a comment about how Robin wished he was the one that got down on one knee and Regina tilted her head in question, gaze darting to Robin. Will quickly backtracked, clarifying that he didn't mean to her, but for his ex. Robin shot daggers at the poor guy and laughed it off awkwardly, just as Regina did the same.

He spots Hyde waiting by the park entrance as he strolls and makes steps to approach him, when a petite brunette taps him on the shoulder and they embrace. For a split second, Robin thinks it's Regina, and he has no desire to see that, but then he focuses a little more. The woman is a little taller, her hair a little shorter, and as she goes in to kiss him…

Dear God, that's not Regina at all.

He backs away and tries to process the scene he's just witnessed; his best friend - the woman he's secretly (though probably not-so-secretly) in love with - her fiancé is in fact dating another woman. And she has no idea.

He had congratulated her earlier that morning. He feels sick to his stomach that this is happening, but also slightly justified; he always thought this arsehole was bad news.

By the time he returns to the office, it's not far off the end of the day - an hour or so - and with little work to be done, he decides to welcome the weekend in early and stare at the bottom of a tumbler of whisky for the evening. No such luck, when Regina approaches him with a smile on her face and a request for his presence at the bar. He wants to decline so, so much, but she's so pleased, it's infectious, and so against his better judgement, he accepts.

Their walk to the bar is mainly Regina talking about a big order that one of her clients placed, to which he nods and hums in all the right places, and he really is listening, truly, but his mind is racing at the same time. He loves listening to her, her voice and the way her tone lifts when she's excited, and normally he'd revel in it in secret, but this is one secret too many.

She goes on to say that she discovered Hyde was meeting _some friends_ at a bar a short walk away and that they're going to surprise him. Right now.

He doesn't ask _how_ she found out, but shit, no, they can't do that. She can't burst in and see him all over some other woman. That's not fair; it'll be embarrassing and heartbreaking for her, and that's the last thing he wants. So Robin tries to explain that it's a guys' night and that she should just leave him to it, they can go somewhere else, but she just jokes that she knows he wants her alone (he wishes she would stop saying things like that… or would carry on), so she ignores all his protests and heads on in.

Regina scans the bar area, Robin close behind, appreciating the calm before the storm. She spots Hyde and smiles, starting to make her way over when she stops, suddenly, causing Robin to walk into her, his hands coming to her hips to steady himself, unable to do anything as the storm explodes.

The storm had well and truly arrived. The thunder rumbling through her head, the cacophony of the bar becoming a low, deep hum as she watched her fiancé greet another woman in a way that was definitely not friendly. Lightning cracks as she races over to him, grabs him by the collar and begins to shout at him. Robin can barely make out the words, and can only see Hyde's shocked, then apologetic, pleading face, his _mistress_ sitting opposite him wide-eyed in shock. She'd had no idea either.

Next he knows, Hyde is pointing at him, face contorted in anger and Robin instinctively steps towards Regina, who is seething (rightly so), unafraid of causing a scene, the entire bar quiet save for her voice. Robin notices her tightly fisted hands and realises that this might be a good time to get her out of there, before she throws a punch and lands herself in trouble, though he's pretty sure no-one would blame her at this point.

When he sees Robin approaching, Hyde shouts something about how they're probably fucking (no, Regina's a loyal woman for one…), to which Robin calmly denies as he places a hand on Regina's shoulder. His laid back approach irks Hyde even more, stating that he's touching his fiancee a little too intimately, something frankly ridiculous.

Regina agrees, telling Hyde in no uncertain terms that he's no longer her fiance. She rips the ring off her finger, throwing it in his face, before turning to Robin and uttering _get me out of here_ , but not before she empties the contents of Hyde's pint glass right over his head.

He guides her out, despite the calls and shouts from his friend's ex. Robin manoeuvres her to his car and she silently gets in, telling him to drive to his, to hers, whatever. Just get her out of this goddamn place.

He floors it, hoping the speed will distract her somewhat, but she's lost in her thoughts, her hands still balled up. Robin glances at her, her bottom lip jutting out in anguish, then her hands, so he reaches out and covers her hands with his, a move she clearly appreciates, as she loosens her fingers and fits them over his.

Robin lets them in, apologising for all the unpacked boxes. She doesn't say a word, doesn't even acknowledge a thing he says, instead sitting on his sofa, staring down at the floor. It's then that he realises she's crying, silent tears falling from her cheeks, splashing onto her hands. His heart breaks for her, and as he sits down, his arm comes around her shoulders and she fits herself onto his chest, as she had done many times before. Robin strokes her back, drawing soothing circles which bring her down until her breaths are mere hitches.

She speaks then, to him or herself, not he's not sure.

"How could he do that to me? How does he live with himself, knowing he's having sex with her yet I'm waiting at home… oh God, I hope he's been careful…" Robin hadn't considered that and doesn't want to hear much more. "My God, Robin! How could I be so stupid?"

He explains that it's not her, it never was her, and there's something about his voice that has her picking up her head and staring at him.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" she asks, and he confesses that he saw Hyde earlier, with that woman and had tried to get her away and spare her the showdown.

She replies that he shouldn't have done that, that he should have let her find out like that, rather than carrying on like nothing was happening. Above all, he should have told her the moment he returned to the office. It's true, but they were at work, it was hardly the right time, but he understands, so he apologises with a, "yes, Regina, I should have and I am sorry."

Her face goes blank as she raises her hand to stare at it. Bare, save for the pale band around her finger where her ring used to sit. She feels lighter and she knows she'll move on from this particular round of heartbreak eventually. She looks up at Robin, his kind eyes and gentle hands, and thanks him for being her friend. It stings, but a friend is better than nothing.

"I'm surprised you didn't punch him," Robin says after a lengthy silence. "I think you would have got quite a few cheers if you did."

"I wanted to," Regina replies, a faint smirk on her face.

Robin scoffs. "I did too."


	27. Sunday Morning

**A part two for day 6 of Inspired by OQ. This is inspired by a rather titillating manip of Regina by regal_regina_explicit on IG, which you can see on my twitter & her IG. Thank you to Shay and Lindsay for reading this through! Just a quick one for you to enjoy...**

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Robin's awoken that Sunday morning by the ringing of his alarm. He mentally curses himself for not switching it off for the weekend as he pulls himself up and to the bathroom to relieve the pressure on his bladder.

Robin stares at himself in the mirror as he washes his hands, taking in the tired eyes, complete with dark bags full of groceries and the hum of the beginnings of a blinding migraine. He didn't even drink that much last night, just a few beers with the guys before he headed home.

… _oh shit_. He returns to the room to find he wasn't exactly alone when he left the bar last night, nor was he alone when he went to bed _or_ fell asleep. Save for a few blankets wrapped tastefully about her torso, he can see her skin, smooth, tanned limbs, topped by an unruly, thoroughly debauched mane of dark curls that hide her features. The night comes back in fragments then; the pretty woman who came up to _him_ and started talking, and he found her as fascinating as she was beautiful. He could talk to her all night and that they did, the topic of conversation ranging widely, from politics and philosophy, all the way to the latest episode of The Real Housewives of Storybrooke that Robin admitted he was ever so slightly addicted to.

He made her laugh, and she him, and they were both laughing as they fell into bed, hands and lips roaming the others with a stunning fervour that surprised, yet didn't surprise them at all. After, they shared another glass of whisky wrapped up in one another, finding that they still had more to talk about, the alcohol spurring a further lack of inhibitions, their tongues loosening and speaking far more intimately; about marriage, damaging upbringings and the like, all culminating in voices lost, their bodies doing all the talking they had no words for.

And now it's the morning. His head is fuzzy, as he's sure hers will be, and his tongue furry, and he's sure his breath is quite stale. Robin turns and heads back to the bathroom, grabbing her a glass of water along with a packet of aspirin, resting it on the bedside table.

The gentle clink of the glass against the wooden top rouses the sleeping lady, and she turns, eyes still closed but face now entirely bared to him. Her mascara had smudged a little, the barest trace of her lipstick left after he'd kissed it off the night before, but her natural beauty was completely evident.

 _Regina_ , he whispers and her lashes flutter as her eyes open, a gentle closed-mouth smile adorning her features as she focuses on him.

"Mmm, good morning, Robin." Her eyes fall closed almost straightaway as she shuffles a little and stretches with a grateful hum.

"There's some water for you, some aspirin, in case your head is…" he clears his throat, "less than perfect this morning." It makes her giggle and she sleepily grins at him.

"You really do think of everything, don't you?" She slurs as she continues to wake. "Your bed is very comfortable, by the way."

"Why thank you. Ikea's finest," he jokes. "Coffee?"

She leans up then, that ridiculously seductive face that she wears so effortlessly painting her features as she smiles. The blanket that sits loosely around her breasts falls, leaving them in plain view as Robin swallows. They're perfect, save for the little tooth-induced bruise just to the left of her right nipple, no doubt the result of his _enthusiasm_ the night before.

"No." She leans forward ever so slightly, a rogue curl falling over her shoulder. "Come back to bed, Robin." He goes to protest his morning breath, but she shakes her head. "No, my dear. Come."


End file.
